A Quick Comment on the Craftsman Lifetime Warranty

We’d just like to make a quick comment regarding the “rumor” that goes around every so often regarding changes in the Craftsman warranty. We pretty regularly receive emails from readers relating Craftsman warranty experiences and asking about changes in the warranty, and we’ve recently seen some mention of it again on the web. It’s sort of funny to us that most bloggers seem to a) hear the rumor and worry, then b) call up Sears PR and ask if the warranty is going away.

Craftsman hand tools are guaranteed forever. If any Craftsman hand tool ever fails to give complete satisfaction, return it to Sears for free repair or replacement. This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Other Craftsman tools are covered by limited warranties.

What we should (as toolaholics) be asking is, “What leeway does this provide stores — or Sears itself — in terms of interpreting the warranty’s wording, and how is the application of the warranty changing over time?”

First and foremost you’ll notice that the warranty says “repair or replacement” not “give you a new tool off the shelf.” Granted, many stores will indeed just grab a new tool off the shelf for you when you come in with your very worn, broken Craftsman hand tool. However, they’re certainly not required to. Some stores keep a cabinet full of “repaired” tools which they’ll trade out to you whenever possible.

Note: We shouldn’t have to tell you this, but since the individual salesperson will likely have the opportunity to either give you a “repaired” tool or a new one, you’ll definitely increase your chance of receiving a new tool by being nice. Seriously, try it.

But what if you really read the above warranty statement like a lawyer billing hourly? What’s a “hand tool?” Is a hammer a hand tool, or are we just talking about mechanics’ tools? While we haven’t done the specific research to be able to tell you exactly which tools have been included and excluded over the years, we do know from first hand experience that Sears has indeed varied the definition of “hand tool” from time to time. And one can’t help but notice the proliferation of “Companion” and other-branded tools on Sears’ tool shelves. We’ve even heard that Sears uses tool color (to some extent) to help identify which Craftsman tools are lifetime-warrantied and which ones aren’t.

Also, note that the warranty doesn’t say anything at all about how long they’ll take to provide you your repaired or replaced tool. Our experience has always been that they do so on the spot, but there’s certainly no written requirement that they do so.

So, in summary: The Craftsman lifetime warranty isn’t changing. The application of it, however, varies, as does the locus of tools covered under it. If you’ve got a box full of Craftsman tools, you’ll want to pay attention to this. And, if you’re considering the purchase of a Craftsman tool, it never hurts to check around a bit to make sure that the tool you’re purchasing is indeed covered under the lifetime warranty. (Or, if not, find out the specifics of the particular limited warranty under which the tool is covered.)

With that kind of information in hand, you can actually shop smart, comparing apples to apples — or warranties to warranties. It’s important to note that there are now a number of different consumer “hand tool” lines available which offer lifetime warranties, each of which apply the warranty in slightly different ways — i.e. which tools they cover, how you go about getting your “replacement or repair,” and so on.

Remember, it’s like ‘ol Joe says, “Knowing is half the battle.”

From Reader Comments: According to one reader who worked at Sears, ratchets are the only tools Sears commonly offers as a repair instead of an exchange. That’d also make sense to us as all of the emails we’ve received regarding replacement with used tools were about ratchets. Check out the comment for more info.

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256 Responses to A Quick Comment on the Craftsman Lifetime Warranty

Hello,
I worked at Sears during college. The warranty they currently use the same it has been for many years. You are correct on the repair comment, however the only tool that is commonly repaired and offered are ratchets. Ratchet repair kits are sent to the stores, and during slow periods employees are often told to work on the backlog of returned ratchets. This is nice in cases where you have a Sears Best ratchet which they do not carry any more – you can request the repair kit (it’s a five minute job) or ask them to repair yours.
Thanks

Be careful when purchasing Speed-Loc drill bits. They are only warranteed for 90 days.
I had a drill bit that came out of the Speed-Loc when using it for the first time. It was clearly defective.
Doesn’t matter after 90 days. Plus they didn’t even have a replacement on the shelf.

Just tried to swap out 2 aviation snips. Clerk said they were rusty, I told the kid thats not rust but dirt and grime from being on a jobsite. I asked for the manager, she wasn’t much of a help. I explained to her the snips work great they just don’t cut anymore and thats not rust, give me a steel wool and she would see. No dice, ended up having to go home, scrub them till they were shiny and take it back to a different Sears.
She said, there is a new policy with the new CEO and with merger w/ Kmart, “All tools showing excessive use will no longer be swapped out”.

After scrubbing them down took them to a different sears and no probs. Wrote a quick note to corporate and they responded back right away. Told them I have a new policy now too, “Buy Rigid Tools”. Oh well, not like I’m a contractor I just am building my house.

Ridgid does not honor their lifetime quarantee to most of us former Ridgid buyers.I had ridged tools for years and the very first time I had a tool fail was my 14.4 v drill driver,took it to Home depot in Ocala,no satisfaction from Home Depot or Ridgid,lady at Home depot called ridged to check on warranty,they said I never registered the tool.I bought over 600 dollars of ridged tools at one time in home depot at Waterville me. Sent the registration and scan numbers in too.Ridgid said they could not find my registration on tools.Called Ridgid from my home and after an hour back n forth no registration was found.I have receipts for tools but Home depot slips have disappearing ink on their slips.I should have copied them but did not know it would disappear like that.Staples receipts disappear too in case u want to know.I have always got replacement tools at sears on my craftsman tools.I will never buy ridged and I try not o shop Home depot.I trade with Lowes or ace when I need items now.

Home Depot is very accommodating in taking back some of Craftsman tools. Wratchets and mechanics tools mostly, screwdrivers, sockets and the like. You will get the Husky brand but it is also covered by a lifetime warranty. The Husky brand is made in America and is the same quality as Craftsman, I have tried them both, in your hand the feels is the same and they are slightly cheaper. Don’t know if they have any limit to what can be exchanged. I had 3 wratchets, 4 screwdrivers and some sockets and they were exchanged with no problem. please let me know if my experience was an isolated incident. I usually buy craftsman first but it is an option to try if Sears gives you some trouble.

miguel sums it up for me, i brought my 1/4 ratchet to sears to get repaired or replaced. It was rusty from being on a boat. the lady told me that the warranty does not cover rust and neglect and would not fix my ratchet. at least they tried to take it apart and when they could’nt put it back together because of the rust, they told me i lucked out. now i have a craftsman 1/4 ratchet without any insides.

Could Someone please tell me if craftmans hand tools are covered by the warranty if they are in a house fire, we still have the tools but are burnt and rusty. If so where would i take Them?
Thank you, Angela

Granted, the wording of the warranty says nothing about abuse or anything like a house fire, but still – if they were damaged in a house fire, get your homeowners insurance to cover them, don’t screw Sears.

This kind of abuse of the Craftsman warranty is why stores get anal retentive about things, and refuse replacements.

It is not warranty abuse to return a rusted ratchet, they get them every day, if they can’t repair it, it gets thrown into a bin for recycling. They do this to old obsolete ratchets every day. Also don’t wory about getting refurbished ratchets, the internals are the same quality as factory new, and the warranty applies the same as new.

They make up all kinds of excuses not to honer the warranty all the time, Sometimes say its a 3 tool maximum, deny swap for rust, tell you the policy has since changed…. Its a fact that sears and Kmart are folding up. Their employees don’t even know what tools are. They just hire kids who aren’t even capable of identifying a screwdriver

THIS IS NOT TRUE, I TOOK A 1/4 ” CRAFTSMAN DRIVE RACHET TO THE STORE FOR REPLACEMENT AND THE SALES PERSON HANDED ME A NEWLY RECONDITIONED ONE. GOODTHING I CHECKED IT AND THE NEXT TWO THE WERE WORST THAN MY ORIGINAL ONE .HE TRIED TO FIND ONE THE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO LAST , ATER 6 HE GAVE ME A NEW ONE AND TOLD ME THAT MOST OF THE REPLMT TOOLS COME FROM CHI NA,

Im a professional mechanic for 30 years, and bought Craftsman tools and boxes because of their no hassle warranty. Every tool (90percent Craftsman) is marked with my initials. Today I went on my regular tool replacement run- purchased various hand tools that I lost, When it came time to warranty a pair of pliers (the rubber grips came off) they would not do it because i engraved my initials in them. When I asked why they said they could not refurbish them for resale. So I asked them what I should do with my hundreds of tools that are engraved. They said they are not covered if they are engraved, even broken sockets?. So you mean when when I buy Craftsman tools they could be refurbished? Seems the price isnt. I will complain to Sears corporate, but it probably wont do any good. Might have to buy tools elsware.

mark,
i am an associate at sears, all of your tools are covered engraved or not. the old sockets and such are melted down, it doesnt matter about engravings. i would hope that you will continue purchasing creaftsman tools and next time you need a replacement print off the warranty info from crafstman.com. the warranty is exactly what its says.
thanks!
Marcus

Beware of Snap On warranty. They are no longer lifetime free replacement. I had to pay $50.00 to get a ratchet replaced. The excuse was “that model isn’t made anymore,you have to pay to upgrade to newer model” The warranty is up to the discretion of the dealer. If you are a young guy and buying lots of tools currently, they will warranty them. The snap on website does not post any warranty info, you have to write corporate for warranty info. What kind of crap is that?

Your Mileage May Vary. What an apt term. I’ve had wonderful experiences returning tools, in any condition, back to Sears. The only one time I had a slight issue was simply because they were out of stock on two sockets I needed replaced. They offered to order them from the catalog and ship them to my house, absolutely free. I received them in 3 days. Just recently I needed to return two screwdrivers and the clerk was most helpful in finding and matching the correct tools to get me out of the store in 5 minutes.

For the sake of clarity, I always ask if it’s covered by the replacement warranty when it’s in doubt. I was told that, generally, a covered tool is one that doesn’t operate under power. Nothing electrical, battery or air is covered – but again, YMMV. Due to that fact, I tend to purchase my power tools from other retailers.

In response to what Mark – Tucson said about the engraving, I wasn’t aware it was an issue. My father-in-law engraves EVERYTHING with his initials, including his Craftsman tools and has never had any problem returning them for replacement. I was surprised to hear that they were giving you issue about that as many mechanics I know routinely mark their tools.

Hi Brian , this engraving thing is new to me also. When I asked when they started this ( I make a tool run like this every couple of months ) they said it had been in effect for quite a while but the managers probably did not enforce it but they have to now. Im dissapointed, I have never had a problem there. I could understand it if the tool was misused. Come to think of it, you can order socket sets from th catalog with your name engraved for you . Go figure.

I just tried to replace my craftsman pliers because they were not working properly. THe clerk intially would not warranty them because she said there was too much rust and that the pliers were engraved. Heck the pliers were about 12 years old – suely there will be some oxidation on them. SHe also went on to say that it is an old policy. I’ve been returning broken tools to Sears for rought 17 years and this is the first time I ever had any trouble. I hope I can get a corporate number somehow. I know one thing is for certain, my Snap-on tool vendor doesn’t give me this kind of trouble when I need to warranty a tool. Surely, the snap-on tools are more costly, but at least I know they’re wearrantied for life and I can hand them down to my unborn children someday.
THe point of all this though is Sears should honor their warranties on their handtools the way it is printed on the packaging. I got my pliers warrantied after manager interventionn, but I think Sears may be starting to not back up their warranties for some crazy reason.

The hand tools may be warranteed, but the cases apparently are not! I bought a 80 piece Craftsman tool set about 5 years ago to carry in my car. About a year ago, one of the plastic latches broke off (they’re nothing but a plastic flap to begin with). Today the second latch broke off and there’s no way to keep the case closed. I’ve been told by the Sears National Customer Service line (800) 549-4505 that not only is the case not warranteed, but I can’t even order a replacement.

I actually buy (or get for free) old, rusty, broken Craftsman tools at flea markets, garage sales and the like and put them in a box, and when I have a good many, I take them all in for exchange. I have assembled quite the collection of new, shiny Craftsman tool sets in this way. Never had a problem. Also – here’s a hint. They made them better in the 50’s and 60’s, so sometimes you are better off keeping these, if they are in good shape.

The TOOL is warrantied by the manufacturer, not the original purchaser. This means it doesn’t matter where you buy the tool, the TOOL is what is warrantied. There is nothing unethical about buying a product the has a warranty from and individual and then exercising your rights to have that warranty honored by the manufacturer.

If you bought a one year old car that has a 5 year factory warranty, would you consider it unethical to take the car to a dealer and expect them to honor that warranty?

I found a really rusted over 2 sized open end wrench in my father’s tool room. I took it to a Sears Essentials store and they let me replace it. Unfortunately they don’t make those type of wrenches anymore so I brought up a standard wrench of one size and a stubby polished wrench of the other size. They told me they couldn’t give me the standard one but gave me the more expensive stubby.

The kicker is that my father found it in the street one time. The sad thing is that I could have used a 5/16 better than the 3/8 they gave me.

I went to Sears to replace my utility knife–the thumb slider had broken off.

The guy first told me it wasn’t broken, then he told me it wasn’t a hand tool, then, when I said I wanted to keep the outside, just replace the insides, please, he went off: “What kind of games are you trying to play?!”

Games? I want my tool replaced without any hassle, and I don’t want to engrave another utility knife!

So while he went to the “back room” to “talk to the manager” I walked up to some kids in the department and it went smooth as silk. Got the new slider, and 3 blades.

April 2007 — I went to Sears in Arkansas to replace a brick layer hammer. They said because they no longer sell a Craftsman brick layer hammer that they couldn’t replace it. Matter of fact they didn’t have a brick layer hammer in store of any brand. They sent me else where to buy a new one. I went to Lowe’s.

We had a bunch of craftsman tools that were recovered from a lot we bought. The house had burnt down, & that they just filled in the foundation with dirt. So when we were digging it up we came across a kinds of burnt up tools. Mostly it was just the chrome plating that was pealing off, & the handles on the screwdrivers melted. I cleaned them up as much as possible, & returned them one or two at a time to the local sears store. I have also returned tools that they no longer carried, & they have always given me a replacement tool closest to what I had. They even opened a gift pack at Christmas time to replace the one I had that was broken. I always buy something when ever I return a tool for warranty replacement.

As stated in an earlier post, if you find older Craftsman tools,sometimes it’s better to keep them if they’re still servicable. The older stuff made by Stanley Works is much better than some of the newer Danaher offerings, especially ratchets. Not even close.

I can’t believe how many people here think that it’s apparently Sears’ obligation to repair tools that have been abused. Why in the world would anyone expect a company to cover emersion in water or fire? This type of behavior is why those of us who try to get replacements for legitimate reasons (the vast majority of us) get c**p from the stores. Costco recently had to change their return policy for certain items due to the same sort of behavior.

Thank God I’m in a at-will state. If anyone on my crew showed such a total lack of ethics I’d fire them instantly.

One day a kid I had working for me told me he went to yard sales every week and would buy every old Craftsman hand tool he found. Then he would intentionally break them then exchange them at Sears for new ones. He said he had a full set of new hand tools he obtained that way, and that he regularly sold new sets of tools he put together piece by piece from exchanging tools from yard sales. I told him I didn’t want any part in defrauding any company and, as far as I was concerned, he would have to find someplace else to get the money he needed for his scheme. He asked what that meant and I told him it meant he was fired and he had 30 seconds to get his thieving ass off my jobsite. If he’ll steal from Sears, he’ll steal from me.

I currently work in NCR for Sears, and by reading some of the returns listed above that have taken place (“old, rusty, broken Craftsman tools at flea markets, garage sales and the like and put them in a box”)this is what has driven the suspicions at the stores, and the “more enforced” return policies. Taking advantage of a return system only causes problems for other legitimate returns. By the way usung hand tools for commercial purposes is also not the intent of those hand tools being sold.

Agree with the ethic issue, however where in the world do you think Craftsman tools aren’t for commercial use? Ummmm, Craftsman have been and are still promoted to mechanics, plumbers, electrcians, and so on.

Well, you know what. The Craftman warranty says for return for any reason. Period.

If I want to go to a flea market and buy up a million Craftsman tools that are old and rusty, to return them to sears for free WARRANTY replacement I should be able to. Sears offers the warranty, they should honor it, jus tlike they say NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

If I want to buy a Craftsman wrench, throw it out the window, run over it, slam it with a sledge hammer a zillion times, bend it, etc then return it to sears for a new one, I should be able to. Why? Becaurs that’s what the warranty says I can do…. replacement for a new one with no questions asked.

BTW: I take very good care of my craftsman and snap-on tools, and have never had a problem return for replacement.

You are right, Mike. Sears, to this day, has the warranty for their products written right above the door entrance to their store. If Sears wants a customer base, and offer a “no hassle” warranty as a way of getting a customer base and customer loyalty, then by all means they should honor what they are so proudly displaying above the entrance to the store.
I might add, Sears are making their hand tools in China now. You can still find a few wrenches that are made in USA, but when the existing stock is gone, it is gone.
I have decided to change brands. I do not choose to pass on tools to my kids that have “China” stamped in them. If America survives, this “made in China” era is going to shame us all.

And what part of the “TOOL” is guaranteed for life implies that the tool it only warrantied to the original purchaser?

Craftsman does not warranty the purchase of the tool, they warranty the tool itself, There is no conditions listed in their warranty regarding the original purchaser of the tool, no matter who originally bought it, or how many times it’s been sold or given to other persons.

You would lose that bet Edster because of the fact it is the tool itself that Craftsman warranties.

I am currently employed by Sears Holding Co (Yea, It has been given a new name since the K-mart merger). As everyone has said, from my knowledge, there is no plan to ever drop the lifetime warranty on hand tools. From a consumer stand-point, if Sears ever did this, their entire customer base would be gone. Craftsman is craftsman for two reasons … one is the lifetime warranty and the other is made in the USA (Large forge in Kentucky does a large number of the ratchets that my store purchases to sell).

As of what is covered and not covered .. Every hand tool is covered … NOT including Tap and Dies, riveters, and staple guns (The last two are sometimes considered to be hand tools but are still not convered unless over 30yrs old which at the time were covered). Hammers, rachets (as mentioned, usually the only reconditioned tool), wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, punches, chisels, pliers etc etc. As of rust, it is not covered under the warranty. It is deemed as “abuse” and will not be returned by most Sears stores. I usually tell my customers to go home, use some steal wool or sand blast it a bit to get the rust off so I don’t get in trouble for it, but so they also get their tool. The engraved initials bit is news to me. I’ve been employed for almost 3 yrs now and have never heard anything of the sort. /shrug

With the mention of color as a way to distinguish warranties, that has only recently been employed with the new(er) red tape measures ranging from 12ft-30ft. Sears had had a problem with customers purposely breaking the blades to get new ones, and so the warranty on the tape measures was changed to include everything but a broken blade. Replacement blades are available from 2.99-4.99 in price.

Thats what I know, I’ll follow this and try to answer anything else I see come along

First time finding this site btw, was looking up competitors and their warranties such as Kobalt and Ridgid (Lifetime Service Agreement for free?) … so kudos, awesome site

I know you wrote the above in 2007 and it’s now 2017, but for the sake of readers who have been(or will be in the future) mislead by your statement that warranty replacement from rust is not covered, you are WRONG, and I offer the following as proof …..

————————-
Sears Clarifies Craftsman Tools Warranty
By cwalters March 25, 2009
Earlier this month, we noted how a reader was having trouble getting Sears to properly honor the lifetime warranty on his Craftsman tools. Now David Figler, a vice president of the company, has responded and said, “We stand behind the warranty—complete satisfaction—period.” Below is his email, and a portion of the memo he sent to Sears stores on the matter.
I work at Sears Holdings to develop and promote Craftsman tools. I am sorry to hear that we did not get it right the first time Brian visited his Sears store for a Warranty exchange on Craftsman tools. Unfortunately, we do not always get 100% execution from all our associates on our warranty exchanges, although we are always striving towards it.
In response to your column, I have worked internally to be explicit on the issues pointed out to make sure we do not disappoint again. Craftsman tools have a heritage of performance and trust. I want to assure you and your readers we stand behind the warranty – complete satisfaction – period. Though disappointed with Brian’s experience, I’m grateful that I could learn of it and take steps to prevent a similar mistake in our stores for the next customer. An excerpt from the internal communication to our store associates is below.
Subject: Craftsman Hand Tool Lifetime Warranty
There have been several news articles and emails regarding customers being denied Craftsman Hand Tool exchanges for reasons that are not part of the warranty. We’ve had specific complaints of denied exchanges based on:
– Tools having rust on them
– A 3 Piece per day limit on exchanges
These are NOT valid reasons for denying our customers their right to exchange their Craftsman Tools under the Lifetime Warranty.
———————————-

I’m 61 years old and got my first Craftsman tools for my twelfth birthday and still have a few of the originals. Over the past 49 years I’ve used, abused and broken my share of their tools. Sears always replaced (when they had it) without complaint even when it was my fault. I agree that some people abuse the “privilege” even though it is a right. I recently went to use my Craftsman MAPP gas torch which is probably over 30 years old. The valve would not close which was not due to abuse but normal wear and tear.

I am sure that when I bought it it was with the Craftsman lifetime warranty. Well, guess what? Craftsman torches now carry a one year warranty. They tried to screw me out of it but luckily for them some management person agreed to make an exception THIS TIME ONLY. My plan was that if they refused I would file a complaint with the state attorney general and possibly file a small claims action. When you’re old and cranky this is the type of thing you do.
When I retrurned home with the new (but not as good) torch I went to put it away and discovered I have a second Craftsman Mapp torch, this one a Craftsman Commercial. I distinctly remember that the advertising hoopla of the 1970s and 80s said that Craftsman Commercial tools were absolutely guaranteed to last forever and ever. I was googling the net with the phrase “Craftsman Commercial Tool Warranty” and ended up here. Let me know what you think.

I have a 25 year old craftsman toolbox, and was wondering if anyone new if it would fall under the craftsmn warranty. I have never had an issue with screwdrivers and hammers, but I’m not sure about toolboxes… Awesome board – thanks…

For a Craftsman ratchet, bring it to any Sears store. They will either a) rebuild the mechanism for you with a repair kit; b) take it from you and give you a ratchet that they rebuilt after someone else returned it; c) let you go home with a brand new ratchet.

As for toolboxes, that might not be covered but it can’t hurt to call up your local store.

Today I tried to return a drill that works fine but the plastic on outside broke. When I purchased many years ago it had a lifetime warraanty. The store manager said no and refused to honor warranty! were they right or wrong?

You can try a different store or ask the manager to call the corporate headquarters, or even better call the corporate number in front of him.

If you purchased the drill with a lifetime warranty, then they should honor it. But… they changed their policy a little while ago on power tools. Now, most Craftsman power tools only have a one year replacement period.

If only the housing is broken, try to mend it since its replacement will most likely be an inferior tool.

Contrary to some of the posts, Sears “lifetime” warranty is not “unlimited.” I just returned from an attempt to obtain a replacemnt (I would prefer a repair kit) for a flex head 1/2″ ratchet and a long straight handle 1/2″ ratchet. The store referred me to the parts center. The parts center (Knoxville, TN) said they did not carry any parts at all and even tried to convince me that hand tools “with moving parts” were not covered. I then called the store to inquire further and received a number for the company that makes Craftsman tools. Their customer service rep checked the tool numbers and said parts were no longer available. I even asked if there could possibly be some repair kits in the pipeline somewhere to see if I could get a little additional effort out of an unhelpful person. The answer was no, my tools were just too old – so I guess “lifetime warranty” does not apply in this case. I have two well-cared for tools that are now worthless.

In order to avoid steering you the wrong way, the best suggestion I can offer is to go into your local Sears store and ask whomever is in the tool department, and fire off an email to someone at Sears.

My impression is that Craftsman power tools only have a one year warranty, but you can purchase an extension when you buy the tool. I don’t know about fuel-powered tools, but I highly doubt that they have more than a one year warranty. Maybe three years? Anyways, this is why I suggest asking someone at Sears directly.

Tom:
You’re a Sears employee and you’re saying that rust or abuse is not an acceptable reason for warranty exchange? Where did you get your interpretation of the warranty?

This is the warranty text:
“Department: 609 Product: Craftsman Handtools Warranty: FULL UNLIMITED WARRANTY ON CRAFTSMAN HANDTOOLS If this Craftsman Handtool ever fails to give complete satisfaction, RETURN IT TO THE NEAREST SEARS STORE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, and Sears will replace it, free of charge. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.”

Where do you see that rust, or fire, or etching, or flea market purchases or abuse or neglect or age or any other condition is excluded?

You don’t; because there are no exclusions.

If Sears wants to exclude certain conditions then according to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, the federal law governing warranties on consumer products, the written warranty has to say “LIMITED”, not “FULL UNLIMITED”, or enumerate the limitations.

(Good luck changing the Craftsman warranty to LIMITED or enumerating limitations and then competing with Husky and Kobalt and SnapOn hassle free warranties!)

You can’t just SELL a warranty with all the necessary buzzwords to compete; you have to HONOR it too, as written; “FULL UNLIMITED.”

Trust me. I just experienced a warranty exchange denial attempt (based on rusty wrenches/sockets) at the Sears store in Pensacola, FL.
In fact, they did deny it; for a few hours . . . until I got home and explained the situation to Sears National Customer Service and Craftsman Tools and Craftsman Assist.
Almost immediately the store received what corporate calls a “store notification” advising them to honor the warranty.

Please Tom, honor the warranty as written; no denials, no excuses, no exceptions, no exclusions, no hassle, “complete satisfaction”.

Matt, I’ve been speaking with quite a few Sears associates over the past few days both online and in stores trying to get the scoop on the new $5 off $5 coupon, and while using it.

I believe that what Tom was sharing with us was the warranty policy that stores are told to adhere to. If a sales associate refuses to repair or replace a rusted ratchet, sure it could mean that they’re being a jerk, but it could also mean that they’re trying to cover their own butts.

I spoke to an employee who said that every now and then he’ll allow a replacement even if it’s obvious the tool was considered abused under the new guidelines.

Most people do not like confrontations and if they’re turned away without a tool replacement or repair, they’ll most likely turn away and purchase a replacement there or elsewhere. Not many people will fight it out, and so Sears saves money in those cases.

I spoke with a well seasoned employee as I made a purchase, and shared with him my personal complaints regarding a Sears online shopping experience. He then went on somewhat of a tirade claiming that recent changes (at least compared to Sears’ age) are aimed at saving as much money as possible without considering customer satisfaction.

This recent trend in penny pinching is spreading to Lowes and HD as well, so it’s not just a Sears phenomenon. Customer service as a whole is going downhill, but not because of individual employees acting like jerks. Orders are being passed down from store management or above, and most employees don’t want to risk their jobs to satisfy a customer who wants to replace a rusted/”abused” ratchet for free.

Anyways, Matt, you offer some great advice as to how to force Sears to properly honor their Craftsman warranty. But also take it easy on Tom and other employees, unless they’re management, they cannot make the call on honoring the warranty if the tool is deemed “not to be replaced” or otherwise. Doing so without authorization could get the employees into trouble, and if they do it a few times, fired.

Actually Sears started a “soft” repeal of their warranty many years ago. It used to be that all Craftsman tools had the word “Craftsman” engraved or cast into the metal part of the tool. When I returned a sledgehammer that I got from my father all I had left was the head, but it was definitely Craftsman. I thought they’d just give me a new wooden handle, but instead I got a brand new sledge with a fiberglass handle, great no complaints there. The downside is the only place that the new one says Craftsman is on a little slip of plastic shrinkwrapped to the handle. There’s no way that will last as long as the hammer, so there will be no way to exchange it. The snow shovel I bought is the same way, and I’ve noticed it on more and more tools as time goes on. I still buy Craftsman hand tools, but only if it’s permanently marked as Craftsman.

I have worked for sears for over 5yrs now and during that time I have seen some of the changes mentioned above, but as far as a tool especially a ratchet not being able to be returned because of rust or abuse, please! I am what is called a PMT , which is the guy who gets all the returned stuff (short of clothes) in the store. I have never had anyone in the store ever deny a person an exchange on a hand tool. As Matt said the warranty is what the warranty is period. And as far the guy who posted earlier that works for NCR go work in a store instead of in a cubicle, actually deal with a customer on a face to face basis not a phone to phone basis. As far as cashiers or salespeople not honoring the warranty they are being lazy or their management has filled their head full of B.S. I have personally taken back ratchet that were rusted, modified, or just plain beat to hell due to everyday use. As stated above if its not repairable (screwdrivers, pliers,most hammers, sockets) it is thrown in big drum to be melted back down and transformed into new Craftsman hand tools. So don’t let your local Sears not replace your tool, the warranty is why you chose Sears and bought the tool in the first place. Sometimes they just need to be reminded of that.

I have worked in Sears all across the country and for 12 years now, im being promoted to Regional VP and have worked with the company since I was able to work. Any hand tool, that still has the Craftsman Emble in it whether engraved or not can be replaced. The only way we can deny is if it altered in any way, like if you shorten a socket or tamper a screwdriver and this will be posted in EVERY Sears store. Im the ones that get the complaints cause im the one from “corporate” to check up on this stuff, and issues will be resolved when it comes to the manner. Now the warranty on the tape measure has changed and when an older one is broken and replaced for the red ones. Only the rivet is covered by warranty due to people cutting the band. But as for the warranty going away….. its not happening.

I am currently working at sears and the lifetime warranty will never go. Rusted or broken we will take them back. Ratchets are the only hand tools that we repair. everything else should be exchanged. impact sockets, regular sockets, screw drivers, hammers, nut drivers, wrenches, sockets adapters, and any other hand tools should be exchanged. Remember this the next time you buy a drill bit, it has no warranty. Not even a 30 or 90 days warranty. unless you have never used it. But if you have good luck trying to exchange one for a new one. Some sales associate will not know, or maybe they just don’t care, and they will exchange it for you. Air tools, Torque wrenches, drills, miter saws, jig saw, circular saws, saw saws, table saws, shop vacs, and anything else you can think about only have a one or two years MANUFACTURES DEFECT warranty not a users issue. Thats why we offer replacement agreements which will cover that. The only tool that we do not offer an replacement agreements are torque wrenches, floor jacks, jack stands, etc. Now with the tape issue, if you have a yellow or old silver tapes it is still covered. But once you get the red tape, everything else is covered but the blades. you have to buy new ones if your blades brake. Now, craftsman drawers and portables chest have no warranty what so ever. The only warranty you have is you have 90 days to return it but it has to be never used. It has to be in it’s original box. If you happen to open it the next day you bought it and it has a dent, you have the rights to exchange it. I HOPE I HAVE HELPED A LOT WITH THE WARRANTY AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO ANSWER. JUST ASK. oh another thing. REMEMBER TO BUY THE REPLACEMENT AGREEMENT IT IS CHEAPER THAN TO BUY A WHOLE NEW ONE AGAIN. AND JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CRAFTSMAN PRODUCT DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T NEED THE RECEIPT UNLESS IT’S LIFETIME. WITHOUT THE RECEIPT WE WILL NOT RETURN IT OR EXCHANGE IT IF IT’S NOT IN THE ORIGINAL PACKAGE. SO KEEP THE RECEIPT.

I’m a government contractor for vehicle maintenance and a few years back we purchased several Craftsman tools sets. Since we never saw a representative after the sale, we were forced to drive to the local Sears for replace broken hand tools – that were clearny not abused. Were talking mostly cracked sockets and stripped ratchets. The local Sears was very reluctant to exchange them saying that their warranty doesn’t cover industrial or commercial applications. This went on for over five years and we paid nearly $100K for these sets and expected better quality and some type of service.

Last month, under company direction, we replaced all 20 Craftsman tool sets with PROTO.

Just yesterday I took some badly damaged sockets back to sears in Lompoc California and was told by the store manager Ms. Lola Wilks that “Craftsman tools are not covered by the warranty unless they are physically broken, rust is not covered even if it make the tool unusable.” So at least at Sears In Lompoc California Sear only offers a limited warranty on hand tools.

I tried to get a ratchet fixed or replaced because the gears skipped once and a while. They gave me such a hard time over this claiming that I must have put a cheater bar on this. The finally swapped it out with one that was stamped “reconditioned” and it was not the same quality of the one I had. I’m done with Sears – and Craftsman.

I’m not sure who has a “Lifetime Warranty” these days. I know Craftsman is Limited and saw in another post that Mac Tools now has a Limited Warranty based on the “expected life” of the tool. Snap-Ons website only mentions the warranty is based on the product code but keeps that a secret although I won’t pay their insane prices. I’ve been sticking to PROTO these days only because it’s what my job provides and haven’t had any problems even though we abuse these…they can take it.

Sears has found a new way to avoid fulfilling their “lifetime Guarantee” on garden tools. (yes-these have a lifetime warranty-some of mine still have the lifetime sticker on them). It used to be that tools like an axe or sledgehammer had the name embossed in the steel. Then they went to painting the craftsman name on the handle of the tools (how long will this last on a shovel?)instead of stamping in the steel. Their next step was to put paper labels on the handles. Now, some of their tools have absolutely no identification on them. Go look at an axe at sears. Nowhere on this tool does it say Craftsman. As I found out, when you try to return the item, they then just refuse it since I could not prove it is Craftsman. So if you buy tools at Sears thinking they have a guarantee, make sure they say “Craftsman”, otherwise you will be burned. You are probably better off buying tools at a garage sale-the older tools were much better quality

A very interesting thread about Craftsman products. Yes, the quality and their service is now totally lacking. Ever since they went to Danaher to make their tools, merged up with K-Mart and Lands End to keep alive, their focus is purely on making money, not uplolding the once mighty Crafstman Name. I purchased a set of sockets over a year ago to keep in the trunk for emergencies. Last month, I needed to use them for a quick project and found that one of the sockets (a 15/16″ 1/4 Dr 12pt) was completely void of any contact points inside. This was clearly a manufactuers defect. Did you know that because I didn’t purchase the “replacement agreement?”, they wouldn’t replace this? We’re talking a frickin’ $1 socket that probably cost them ten cents to produce. Needless to say, Sears has lost a customer from their last sale.

I know that proto still has a lifetime warranty. I just swapped out a handful of cracked sockets at the local Grainger and there was no questions asked. I also found there Westward tool line is pretty stout and also carries a lifetime warranty.

I do not shop at sears, never have. I like Lowe’s because they have let me return anything, reguardless of waranty. Granted I have never tried to return anything that is obviously my fault, a 2 year old broken fat max that was used everyday for example. I have no doubt they would return it, but it would be embarassing and dishonest, imo 😉

I took some Craftsman wrenches to my local Sears store on 4/27/08 and the Manager refused to replace them. Said only defect or damage qualifys for repalcement, and if I had abused the tool he would not replace it. I picked up a Sears tool catalog on the counter and read to him the warranty, nowhere does it mention damage or defect, but it does mention customer satisifaction. He stated that customer satisifaction was not reason enough to replace the tools and asked me to leave the store. I asked him to read the warranty and he told me to leave the store or he would call the police.

I’d welcome him to call the police, and then have him try to explain why he summoned them. Unless you were being disruptive, crude, or violent then there’s nothing they could do.

Note that Sears is screwing themselves in a number of ways here — not only are they pissing off customers, but they’re just asking for a lawsuit for violating their warranty. It’s explicitly an unlimited warranty; they don’t get to decide whether or not to honor it. They should’ve offered a limited liability warranty if they had wanted that.

First,if the manager says to leave,you have to leave,or you WILL end up being arrested. If that happens,get his name and call corporate.

Ive had them argue on warranties too. They tried to argue that badly rusted 12pt sockets (so that the points were just gone) were not covered. They claimed the warranty was on the website and said it excluded rust. I read the warranty on their website to them on my phone and they still refused. I went to another sears and they swapped them out without question. I dont know where this is coming from,but its happening at sears stores all over the place. The claim that its not policy does not track. Someone MUST be telling managers not to do it,or must be creating a policy that encourages them to do it,because I don’t believe they CARE enough not to do it on their own.

Interesting point on torque wrenches. The “nice” torque wrenches are not covered. The old beam type ones,that they still sell,ARE. Ive exchaged three of the old beam types that I found at garage sales with brand new ones.

I used to work for Sears about 4 years ago in the Tool Territory department (Tools) and my manager Greg had always told me to not accept tools that had rust on them. Other managers would say to just replace them. If Greg was ever around and I was doing a tool exchange, he’d stop me in my tracks and check for rust. 2 times I had completed an exchange with a customer, customer is walking our the door, then Greg would run up and flag them down and bring them back to my register so he can check what tools they brought. If he found rust or any abuse, he would blatantly tell the customer that rust or abuse is their own fault and that the exchange must be undone. I’ve had to void exchanges because of this prick. Now you tell me if these customers will ever come back to Sears.

Many many times has he come close to a fist fight with a customer. Understand that it is not always up to the cashier whether he can take back a rusted or abused item. Managers tend to brainwash cashiers into doing what they want. Same goes for Corporate to Managers.

Ohh and one more thing. If Greg EVER saw me exchange out a broken ratchet for a new one without looking in our refurbished ratchet drawer first, he’d flip out then would walk out and chain smoke like 5 cigs in a row. He did not get along well with other managers as well.

I hate the damn abusers who think they can go and get a replacement a tool just because theirs looks ugly or is over 4 weeks old. These damn abusers are what are causing all these problems. I litterally had a customer that would replace ALL his tools every 4 weeks. The damage done to them looked intentional but I was no one to judge and blame him for that, so I had no choice but to exchange $500 in tools every time (6 times till finally management said to bug off)

My worst was when one guy brought an ENTIRE shopping cart FULL of rusted broken tools. The cart was so loaded it could barely take the weight of all the steel. It took 3 associates and 5 hours to match every tool he had. These tools look like they sat on a lawn for 8 years. Now tell me that isn’t abuse and neglect. Sears has screwed themselves by having such a warranty, and Sears is screwing themselves by not living up to their warranty.

You screw yourself for promising the world, but get even MORE screwed by not delivering the world you promised

I bought my sears hand tools back in the 80’s. Today I returned a broken 1/2 ” flex head ratchet (head gears jamed). Unlimited life warranty…. First the sales man gives me a replacement that has a sticker stating refurbished. I told him I saw nothing in the warranty that said refirbished replacement. Salesman then tells me that “Sears” does this to save money……. thats when I demanded a new tool. The replacement has less beef than my original and the ratchet head looks like cheap China junk! Looks like to me that Sears tools are not worth buying.

Its funny and sad, I have been getting that crap from Sears on the craftsman warranty for the past 30 years. I have heard every excuse you can imagine (“we don’t warranty THAT tool” (a screwdiver), “its not a HAND TOOL” (a socket), “we discontinued that warranty last year” (they try this one out at least one a year on me), “Thats not a craftsman tool (the screwdriver with CRAFTSMAN stamped on the handle), “we can’t exchange it with out a receipt” (a regular excuse at my local sears), “we need 2 forms of PICTURE identification” (exactly why?), “we don’t accept tool exchanges after 6 pm” (what?). Persistence pays off and I eventually get the exchange. It used to be entertaining, trying to figure out which sales clerk was a jerk, or testing to see just how high up you had to go to get the exchange. Anyway, its nothing new, this has probably been going on since Mr CRAFTSMAN dreamed up this crazy warranty scheme. I wonder though, there must be some sort bonus that sears employees get for denying a tool exchange, or the cost of the exchange must come of out their paycheck, or something. Why else would they work so hard to come up with the CRAZY excuses to not make a legitimate warranty exchange?

Somewhere around 15 years ago it stopped being entertaining for me and now I only exchange craftsman tools, I don’t purchase new ones. And I don’t shop at sears anymore either…

Dan said: “I wonder though, there must be some sort bonus that sears employees get for denying a tool exchange, or the cost of the exchange must come of out their paycheck, or something. Why else would they work so hard to come up with the CRAZY excuses to not make a legitimate warranty exchange?”

You want to know the ironic thing? Not only do Sears employees not get credit for denying the return, they get credit for making it. All Sears home improvement employees (myself included) are on an hourly base pay +commission based pay check. Craftsman exchanges show up under our commission statement as if it were a sale meaning we make our standard commission on every Craftsman exchange as if it were the sale of a brand new tool.

I exchange everything (that falls under the lifetime warranty), always, without question or hassle and have the managers at my store backing that decision up. Last time we had a store walk through with South Eastern US regional manager Ted Wells he basically told us to ignore all the stipulations in the warranty coming down from corporate. They wouldn’t be lasting much longer.

To any who’ve had to endure rude, arrogant, or dumb associates trying to cheat you out of the time tested warranty of what is one of the oldest and most trusted names in American corporations, I am truly and personally sorry. I’ve striven for the last 3 years of my employment at Sears to bring back as much of what made this company great at one time as I can. Not only can I proudly say I have a sense of self satisfaction in doing my job and doing it well, but my customers notice it too and being as I am on commissioned sales, my pay check takes care of it’s self.

We as a company have lacked a lot since this merger with K-Mart. But I feel that now that Alwyn Lewis (former CEO, fired about 2 months ago) is out of the picture, that things will begin to change again. We’ve already had a couple internal corporate memos spinning down the pipeline repealing some of the decisions of that guy and I think with some effort on the part of the employees at all levels we can turn Sears and Craftsman into a legitimately proud, honest, and integrity filled name again.

Oh, and as an aside regarding the lack of stamping on the lawn and garden tools. Last years lawn tools were distinctly colored yellow on the fiberglass handles and you are indeed right that they had no stamp or ink on it that said Craftsman save for the product label that was affixed to it.

The 2008 stock of lawn tools now have a red fiberglass handle and in addition to being sturdier in construction when felt in the hand, they have the name Craftsman stamped, etched, or inked into the actual metal part of the tool.

As I said, it will take some time to recover from this ridiculous merger with K-Mart, but we’re on our way slowly but surely.

Based on the many long time craftsman users here, I am hoping that someone here would know something about a warranty that may or may not be available for my ancient scroll saw. I am as interested in warranty as repair, but warranty repair would be better if legitimately covered.

I was talking with someone the other day about my old tools (yes I like my old tools and don’t want new ones) and they said that perhaps due to the age, I could get a repair, since some power based tools had warranties too. In addition to repair/warranty info, any info you have on it would be nice to know too.

Tool description:
– scroll saw
– belt driven (belt drives a piston to operate the blade assembly)
– it is blue
– it has crafstman cast into the top portion of the scroll saw
– so heavy you cant believe

I know a little off topic, but only a little since I do want to know about tool/options.

To a previous poster. Kobalt and Westward are not made by the same company. Kobalt sockets and ratchets are made by Danaher. Westward is a Canadian company and most of their hand tools are now China/Taiwan made.

Interesting contrast. On the very, very rare occassion that I break a Craftsman hand tool, I have no problem getting it replaced. If I ran Sears, I would have put a restriction on the warrenty regarding rust. I’ve seen a few of the rusted tools our Sears has taken back and it was clear that these tools were simply not cared for.

Same problem as others noted – rust on poorly working garden hedge shears resulted in refusal to replace the tool. After discussion with the manager, they said that a broken blade would also result in a rejection. Only the “mechanism” on a tool would result in a replacement. For the shears, this would only mean the pivot bolt that could not be tightened to make the blades of the shears work, and only if this occurred during “normal use”. Broken handles or blades would not result in a replacement. This leaves me wondering if a broken tip on a screwdriver would also result in a reject, or a worn socket would result in a reject? I was very surprised as I’ve received replacements on a couple of tools throughout the years at the same store without a problem. However, the last one was before Kmart bought Sears. I suspect their warrantly policy has changed, not the warranty itself, but the interpretation. In particular, rust seemed to be the key point that caused the sales associate to consult with others before giving me the replacement. I’m very disapointed as the Craftsman tool costs approximately 3x the amount of a typical cheap lawn tool. For the last couple of tools that have been replaced, I’ve noticed that the replacements are cheaper quality and stamped made in China. Good luck to those who try to get Sears to honor the warranty. And it might be a good idea to polish the failed tool before taking it in so rust is not an issue.

I’ve been a sears employee for 10 months now and I’m appalled @ the problems many of you have faced while attempting to obtain replacements for craftsman tools. Forgive me if I’m not as bold as Kevin, as I don’t give my full name or store #. Personally I can only recall one time where I have rejected a craftsman hand tool exchange (at least on a covered product) and in that case I took a damp paper towel, removed the mud, in places blood, and even a dead spider from around 10 sockets that were in perfect condition once cleaned. I did however exchange another 30 or so items for that customer. My only request to my customers is that they try not to put off their exchange trips until their stockpile is more than they can carry. Particularly if your tools are rusted, abused, etc. Any associate will be more likely to take back 1 or 2 rusty sockets than they would be to give away $200 of merchandise. Personally I exchange them anyway but in my short time I have achieved what sears calls professional status (basically my sales, misc income categories, and customer satisfaction scores have been above expectation for a prolonged period of time) that’s only relevant here because once you’ve reached that point you are less likely to be asked by a manager or loss prevention to explain yourself. As for what is/nt covered, moving parts that are made of anything other than forged steel aren’t. Anything that requires electricity, air power, or gas isn’t. Anything that is expendable isn’t. Blades, bits, tap and dies, aren’t. And torque wrenches aren’t. (personally I believe whole heartedly that torque wrenches should be but it isn’t my call)(maybe one day, lol) and of course the infamous blade of your tape measurer. As for the rebuild program, ratchets are the only thing sears repairs, and I can personally assure you that the rebuilds are of the same quality as what is on the shelf. Craftsman does offer tools with your name engraved, however they are not warranted and are not marketed as being warranted. I don’t see how craftsman would warrant your engraving if they don’t theirs, but I’ve never refused based on initials. So I’ll leave you with advice, if you have questions feel free to e-mail me (if this site offers that, I’m not sure as its my first time here). If you have troubles with an exchange ask for a manager, if they are not helpful ask if there’s any way to speak with a district manager or regional VP as they have no obligation to answer to loss prevention for something they do at the store level.

I found a Canadian Sears website that has a definition of “hand tools”. I find it interesting that the non-digital Craftsman torque wrench is included in their definition of a hand tool, while previous Sears employees have stated here that torque wrenches are NOT included. Arent Canadian and US Sears the same? BTW….never ever purchase a non-digital torque wrench from Sears, they do not last and the accuracy changes minute to minute.

Hi ; I have a 1986 table saw ,craftsman made, but right now I”m looking for a Tension plate . model # is 135.228390 , would you by chance have one
hide way back on the shelf ? If so write me and E-mail let me know how much and all, TY
Al

I learned today that if you return a broken wrench that was part of a set of 13 pc. set, you must bring back all 13 pc. for the exchange. Mr. Trin Hang, manager Sears El Monte, CA store told sales person (on the phone) to refuse to warranty the one broken wrench. I had to drive back home 10 miles to gather up the other 12 wrenches (nothing wrong with these 12 wrenches) and drive back to Sears. When I got back to the store I asked to speak with Mr. Hang. I asked him why he would not warranty the single broken wrench. His reply was because it is part of a set. I showed him the display in his store for the Craftsman 393 pc. Mechanics Tool Set Sears item# 00936393000 Mfr. model# 36393 and asked him if I purchased this set and if a wrench or any other tool broke, would I need to bring back all 393 pcs. His reply was YES you must bring back all 393 pcs. to covered by the warranty. Then he smiled and said to have a nice day as he was walking away from me. Having to return all pcs. from a set must have been in the fine print that Sears forgot to print.

I’ve returned part of a tool set to our Sears and had no problems. As to Sears power tools, I bought my first Craftsman power tool back in 1981, 27 years ago, and there was no lifetime warrenty on them then. Back then, the warrenty was only 1 year.

Someone wrote that Snap On never gave hassles over warrenty replacement. I know several mechanics that will not buy Snap On solely because of problems getting broken tools replaced. There are many Snap On drivers that will do anything they can avoid honoring a warrenty.

Also, the Craftsman catalog has stated for years that the raised panel tools are not covered under warrenty when used in commercial facilities.

Sheldon, I apologize greatly for your treatment in attempting to return that wrench. The next time you are in the store, please inform Mr. Hang that he is heavily incorrect, the entire set does not need to be returned to exchange a tool under the Craftsman Lifetime Warranty. That would be a ridiculous waste of time and tools to say the least. You only ever need to bring in the broken tool itself to exchange it.

(Obviously, if you have, say, a 6-in-1 screwdriver, all 6 pieces would need to be there for the exchange but that is an entirely different situation.)

Thank you for posting the store and manager’s name. I’ll have the manager at my Sears fire off a memo and complaint about him and the store and hopefully get that straightened out as soon as possible.

First off let me tell you that the older craftsman tools really are built much better than the new stuff. I have a 3/8 drive ratchet made some time in the 20’s-30’s that sat in a barn for 60+ years and after a quick wipe down with steel wool and a few drops of oil it works like it is brand new!

I have replaced TONS of craftsman tools over the years. (i know how to fix cars and my friends dont so they come see me for basic repairs).

The majority of the time i simply walk in and leave a few minutes later with a new tool. This is especially true at the Windham CT craftsman tool store (a store that sells only tools and not other sears merchandise) Sometimes the regular sears stores try to deny me a replacement because they claim that a broken screwdriver ” must have been used as a prybar, you cant break it turning screws” or that “you have to leave your ratchet with us so we can rebuild it and you can come pick it up in a few weeks” Talking to a manager almost always gets me my replacement. The only time i left without a new tool was at the Sears in the Meriden CT mall. I brought in a approximately 10 year old 3/8 drive ratchet. It was stripped out and would not work at all. The manager told me that they were all out of rebuilt ones and that i ABSOLOUTELY could not have a new one off the shelf. I asked for the number for corporate and was told that i was causing a scene and that i needed to leave or he would have security remove me from sears property. I told him to go take a long walk off a short pier and went to the Windham CT craftsman tool store. There they replaced my ratchet with a brand new off the shelf one and their manager even gave me 2 free ratchet rebuild kits as he profusely apologised for the way i was treated in the Meriden store. He even took down all my info and told me he would contact someone higher up and let them know about the manager who refused my return. This is where i now buy my craftsman tools because i know i will be treated with respect and that they do not hesitate to honor the warranty even going so far as to give me the next better, more expensive tool because they were sold out of the exact one i wanted to exchange.

The best part was a few weeks later when a letter arrived from sears corporate office again apologizing for the treatment i recieved in the Meriden store and saying that the manager was reprimanded and reminded of the craftsman warranty. it also included a coupon good for 25% off any craftsman tool purchase!

And yes i have found old beat up craftsman tools at yard sales or on the side of the road. If it still works i clean the rust off and use it. I dont care if the tool has rust on it as long as it does not affect its function or comfort. I have brought in a few ratchets that were stripped and several socket extensions that had the locking ball seized by rust. every time at the windham store they were exchanged without question.

All standard Craftsman bubble levels have the same lifetime tool warranty. That includes any breaks in the tool, the bubbles, or the bubbles clouding up. (Common problem after 10-20 years.)

The new *digital* levels have a one year warranty however since it is an electrical tool. However, I assume you’re referring to a standard one so just take it into your local Sears and have it exchanged.

I have Craftsman 5 1/2 in bench vise (made in U.S.A.!) that has finally seen too much use. The top of the piece with one of the jaws and the anvil has completely sheared off (meaning a substantial piece of forged steel has broken in two). I noticed on the Sears’ website that the current bench vises only have a one year warranty but this one was made back when they were built in the U.S. I read somewhere that the U.S. made Craftsman hand tools all had the unconditional warranty. Can I get this replaced?

So took the broken bench vise in to see if I could get it replaced. After immediately being told the the bench vise only has a one year warranty and referred to the manager I reiterated that the vise was bought 10 years ago when it was still sold with the unconditional warranty. She took the model number after not finding it on the website she called it in. Five minutes later and lo-and-behold I could return the vise. Sears doesn’t make a 5 1/2″ anymore so I got a 6″ with the one year warranty. So in the end bigger vise, lower quality and useless warranty. Better than nothing. Oh, and of course the mounting holes don’t match.

Can’t say positively, but without a receipt and within maybe 90 days, would say no. Sears would have gone bankrupt many years ago if they had had to warranty their floor jacks. Possibly the very worst ‘tool’ one could buy at Sears; Harbor Freight’s floor jacks would beat Sears’ and Harbor Freight has some of the sorriest stuff out there!

I have been purchasing craftsman tools for over 20 yrs. Yikes!!! That’s a long time. I have replaced 2 of my original 25 ft tape several times and now I have the newer red ones. I have returned a pair of extruders I use to use on a daily basis that go back 20 years and still use them occasionally to this day. I have returned and upgraded my screwdriver sets twice. First from the standard to industrial in which I paid the difference in cost and then from the black handled industrial to the red/black handle industrial. And that was to keep the set the same. Not all of the drivers were worn or broke. I have repalced ratchets and sockets all with my initials engraved on them. I replaced my channel lock pliers from the black handle and got the newer red handle. The same with my dykes (side cutters) and standard pliers. I have 3 tool boxes full of craftsman tools with a few exceptions of Klein and Channel Lock brands. I even have my original nut drivers that use to come with the snap pouch. However the one of the snaps broke so I modified the case with some industrial grade velcro… And guess what??? About a year later Craftsman started making the pouch with velcro!!! Anyway I absolutely love my Craftsman tools and my Craftsman mower starts firsts pull everytime and it’s over 4 years old… I had great luck with the weedeater too. But not such luck with their blowers. Have gone thru 2 gas blowers within 3 years although one of them I screwed up by grabbing the wrong oil but it still was a ridiculous amount of $$$ to have fixed… I bought a new Stihl blower and that my friend is a quality piece of equipment. But as long as craftsman has their warranty on the hands tools I will not hesitate to buy them. I used them for 10 years straight on a daily basis which afforded me the opportuniy to excell in my career. Now I have been at a computer for 10 years and my tools stay at home… But when I need one I have it and if it breaks I know with confidence I can return it. These tools will become an heirloom to my son… By the way he has been using my tools also for quite a while. Skateboards, bikes, and I made him put his basketball goal together this last Christmas. He’s 15 and he has learned how to put them back where they belong because he knows I will know if even one is out of place. Rock on Craftsman!!!

Update!!! For all the nay sayers I just took in a black handled industrial phillips screw driver and an older 1/4″ drive ratchet with my initials engraved on it and replaced them with the red and black handled professional screw driver and a brand new ratchet with no hassle what so ever.. They couldn’t rebuild the ratchet because it was an older one without the accessible clip they have now. And my initials where plain as day… They didn’t even thoroughly inspect either piece. Exchanged them without question.

One thing I always do when I am exchanging tools is to go grab all the new tools first and then take them to the counter. No need to wait in line first when they are either gonna tell you to go get the ones you want to replace or they will call an associate to go with you. Just get them first….

Next I’ll see if it’s true that they won’t replace a tape with a broken blade. I have done it many times before but I see some people in here say they won’t anymore. But that doesn’t seem feasible because it is always the blade that will break first and the blade is the main component of the tool. Now if they want to replace the blade only that is fine but I can’t believe they would have me buy it… We’ll see..

You can’t go wrong with Crafstman hand tools, MADE IN THE U.S.A (mostly)
with (in my case now for 20 years) a Hassle Free Lifetime Warranty.

I recently went back to Sears in Milford, CT with a broken tape measure, which I always had no problem with before, and they told me they were NO LONGER exchanging them and that I had to buy a new one.

The salesperson was trying to wait to tell me this till all the customers cleared out of line, but I talked with one fellow in line and he and a few other customers were upset by hearing this and questioned the clerk. Indeed, they were also told Craftsman guarantees would no longer be honored.

I threw away the tape measure. Maybe I made a mistake and should have gone over to the Sears in Hamden, CT to see if they would honor it. I am left with extremely bad vibes for Craftsman products now and won’t be buying them again and we buy a lot of tools for restoration projects that we do. I am also telling every contractor and auto buff that I know.

I was told flat out NO by the sales person, who claimed to be a manager, and I have a witness. I have been buying Craftsman tools at Sears for 25 years. I won’t be buying any more.

I have mixed reaction to Sears and Craftsman products. My folks nearly always bought Sears and Craftsman (1950-60-70’s)products & tools-not so much only for the warranty but the sales force at the time KNEW the products they sold and gave good advice on tools, paint, hardware and answered questions on how to do a project or what was needed– I got to know those people as well and bought from them. But after about the mid 70’s those folks were ‘replaced’ and the newbies were -one day they sold paint and the next they were in shoe dept. Well ’nuff of the ramblings
I purchased a Craftsman 1/4 sheet sander in SEP 2008 from the local Kmart store (save a 1 hour trip to the next big city with a Sears store) to work on my bedroom -bath remodel. Well it died 4 weeks ago. Took it back to Kmart with receipt and ask for the replacement per warranty (1 yr ) was told no- past the 90 day return policy of Kmart and I had to call the 800# or go to a Sears store to get it repaired. Well that just ‘tickled’ me the wrong way- showed them -warranty says full replacement not wait for repair. No avail.Drove to Sears (1hr round trip) and ask them to replace -“Ah Nope thats Kmart we can’t help you…” so back home and called the 800 number and got transfered 4 times and finally got a person in tool ‘warranty’ and he said I should not have been shuffled around and Kmart should have honored the replacement warranty per owners manual warranty etc. So he connected me to the local Sears store customer assistance dept and waited on hold and then someone answered and ask and told them the story etc and they would transfer me to the Store mgr- wait on hold and then “large appliance dept’ answers and told them who I was waiting for and got the run around- I hung up. So two weeks later (got blood pressure down) I go back to Sears store to the “Service center” which is the backdock of store a guy comes out after having to do the barcode scan of the receipt -then another guy comes out look at sander and receipt/warranty portion and both disappear and 10 minutes later a store mgr appears and tells me of the grief of doing non sears returns etc. I interuppt her and told her the condensed story and I think by the gleem in my eye and furrowed brow that I was not going for another round about with Kmart. I told her “If I had to ” ‘she would need to call Kmart and tell them to exchange it”, She said she wasn’t suppose to but in this case- She called the tool dept and got me another sander exchanged. The end I hope. So lesson learned don’t buy Craftsman products at Kmart.

I understand people’s grief here. I too have had my share of problems exchanging Craftsman hand tools in the recent years at Sears. I never had the problem before the merger with Kmart. And yes some stores are better then others to deal with.
I went in one day to exchange a couple of tools and purchase a few hundred dollars worth of tools. One tool was a ratchet that was in perfect cosmetic condition, whoever it no longer worked. They actually gave me a hassle replacing it. When they did they gave me some used beat up rachet that was in horrible condition. It was deaply engraved multiple times all around it, and the handle was chewed up and peaices of metal portuding that would be harmful to even use. It looked as if someone used visegrips on it and tore it pretty good. I was in shock when they handed this to me. In fact I was in a loss of words. I thought it was some kind of joke. But she was as serious as a heart attack. I finally composed myself and said what is this? She told me its my replacement. When I questioned her she told me they don’t give new replacements anymore. I was in totally dismay. I turned the head and it was worse then the one I was returning. She didn’t even want to replace that one. A other associate came up and sided with her. I asked for the Manager. And after arguing with them, I finally got a new one. But they acted like they were bending over backwards and I was doing something wrong. They told me that they can’t not longer do that again in the future. I was in total shock. Needless to say I left the items I was going to purchase on the counter. They lost a decient size sale because of this and many future sales. I only purchase one thing from them after that, only because it was the only place I could get the special remote I wanted to get my Dad for Xmas and it was on sale for about half the cost. I hardly ever go in Sears anymore. Sears use to be one of my favorite stores to purchase from.
I went in a other time to exchange a wooden folding carpenters ruler. Again it was a hassle. And apparently they no longer make them. So they gave me a other brand. While the brand maybe a decent brand, it was not a lifetime warranty. But that’s what my dad wanted me to do. If it was me, I would have fought this battle too.
I now have a craftsman torque wrench I’ve gotten many years ago from my parents for a xmas gift. It was well token cared of and is in great condition,. I hardly ever even used it. It had a lifetime warranty when purchased. But they later changed the warranties to a 1 year warranty with absolutely no change in design. I read many posts online about this situation and Craftsman seems to give people problems replacing them. Now the new ones only have a 90 day warranty as stated on the package and it is the same model number. The item number is stamped on it as well.
My parents paid good money for this for me when they did not have a lot of money. I wanted a Craftsman because of the quality and warranty. If I known years later I would have a problem replacing it, I would have went with a different manufactures.
My dilemma is how do I get this torque wrench replaced. And even if they do replace it, it will be with this newer version, and I can guarantee that they will not replace that one when it fails because they will say this version did not have the lifetime warranty and I will no longer have any kind of proof of a lifetime version.
How would one approach this situation with them? I refuse to let Craftsman burn me on this. Part of the cost of that wrench is in the warranty. So I only want to b righted by this. I am tired of being fruaded.

I have successfully replaced at least two 100% rubber garden hoses. No questions asked in Salem NH store. I think they were leaking from the connector ends (forgot real name).

I now have an axe (maul) with a hickory handle that is clearly marked with the unlimited warranty sticker. The handle has started to split where I have struck a few logs while splitting wood. Will Sears replace that handtool?

Man, I don’t know what problems you guys are having to go through. I’ve been with Sears for over a year now and very rarely do we have problems with swap outs. We were given a little foldup card from corporate to carry in our nametags that CLEARLY marks out our warranty, due to the issues you all have been having. Just to outline a few key points:

A. THE LEGENDARY CRAFTSMAN HAND TOOL FULL LIFETIME WARRANTY
Our Craftsman Hand Tool Lifetime Warranty is one of the most important competitive advantages we have in the market. Most Craftsman Hand Tools are Guaranteed Forever! That means they are guaranteed to give complete satisfaction and will be repaired or replaced free of charge if it ever fails. This is an unconditional warranty and applies to Craftsman tools regardless of purchase location, professional use, rust or other conditions. There is no limit to the number of items a store can replace in a day or for a particular customer.

SPECIAL HANDLING OF CRAFTSMAN LIFETIME WARRANTY FOR RATCHETS:
When a customer brings in a defective Craftsman ratchet:
1. No matter what condition it is in, accept it under the Hand Tool Full Warranty.
2. Go to the area where the refurbished ratchets are stored and offer the customer a refurbished ratchet as a replacement. Refurbished ratchets are as good as new and have the same value and warranty as new ratchets (refurbishing only applies to the handle; the internal gear components are new)
3. Your customer may insist on a new ratchet, in which case you should give them one. Always agree with the customer!
4. Never sell or represent a refurbished ratchet as new! All refurbished ratchets should be properly labeled by the PMT before they are put on the salesfloor. Make sure your customer understands that they are getting a refurbished ratchet.

I’m getting lazy copying everything at this point, haha. But just to summarize one last section about items from a set. If you are trying to swap out an item from a set, we will swap out just that item IF it is one we sell separate. If it is one that is ONLY sold in a set, then unfortunately we will need the whole set as a swap out as we are not allowed to open a set for one item (this would mess up our inventory counts, along with cause other issues).

Also, if you purchased an item during a time frame when the warranty was different, we must still honor that warranty, but only for that swap out. Once it is swapped out for a new one, then the new warranty goes into affect. An example is a customer I had who brought in a very old torque wrench. We looked up the old warranty in the system (yes, employees can look up past warranties and most managers should know how) and when he purchased it, it was covered under a lifetime warranty. We swapped it out for a new one, but explained that it no longer had a lifetime warranty, as torque wrenches are now classified as “precision hand tools”.

I just want to apologize for all the troubles you all have had and I hope that you would give Sears another chance. Take it from an employee, not all stores are the same and not all managers/employees are the same either.

The warrantee doesn’t change that is correct, however. I brought a 100 foot fibreglass tape reel back to Sears (it was a Craftsman brand tool with a lifetime warrantee) the handle had broken. Although it had a “Lifetime Warrantee” they no longer carry it, but have switched to an Empire brand . I was told they would give me a new one this time, but that was it. How do you sell a tool with a lifetime warrantee, and then not honor that warrantee for a lifetime? Seems Shady to me. I’ve also been told the same thing about tools that design has changed.

I have a question. My grandfather gave me a belt sander, it is a Sears Craftsman. I have visited various Sears Tool Departments and they no longer seem to carry the size of belt that it requires. Is there some way that I could replace it with one that I can buy belts for. Your response would be very much appreciated. Thank you Carol

Carol, You should be able to find something if you search the Internet. This was just the first link on a google search: http://www.abrasivesales.com/

Jeff Stevens, the issue seems to be the definition of “Lifetime”. Everyone seems to think the warranty is for YOUR lifetime. If they are warrantying it for the lifetime of the tool, then when the tool breaks, and they replace it, then they’ve met their obligation. And not necessarily with something that has the same lifetime warranty.

OTOH, since everyone does seem to think the warranty means their lifetimes, Sears has a PR problem with unmet expectations then.

My rather old Craftsman tape measure just broke (the tape is intact; it just came right out of the body of the Craftsman tape measure). I unscrewed it to see if I could put it back but the “tab” on the spring is inside a white-plastic cylinder such that I can’t connect the intact blade to the spring (which retracted a little inside its winding which is why I can’t re-connect the blade).

The Craftsman tape measure is now useless (I hand wound the blade back into the housing but if I pull it out, it won’t retract since the blade is no longer connected to the inner spring).

The tape measure is Craftsman Model (9)39429 (the first 9 is really small – what is that little 9 for anyway?)

This Craftsman 39429 tape measure has a 30 foot long blade; the color of the blade is yellow with black letters. The color of the Craftsman tapemeasure 39429 body is chrome, with a black & red circular Craftsman label (which says the part number stuff above).

Googling to see if this probably twenty years old Craftsman tape measure is covered under the Sears Craftsman hand tools warranty, I found this web page, which often discusses “color” but I’m not sure if the red/yellow/black colors refer to the tape itself or to the body of the tape measure. I’ve got all three colors so saying the yellow is covered but the red isn’t doesn’t make any sense unless we explicitly refer to the yellow or red of the tape itself or the red & black of the label on the tape measure chrome body.

In summary, is the 39429 Sears Craftsman tape measure covered or not by the lifetime warranty when the tape slips out of the spring?

Does anybody no what the code numbers on the rachets mean? I need to prove that I had these tools since 1989. I since got married in 1995. I am now getting a divorce. The court says that I have to prove that I had the tools before the marriage or She either gets half or I have to repurchase them from her. Is there anything that I can do to prove that these are before I met her? I have big red tool boxes and carrying tool boxes. Its just not fair that she gets half because I can not produce a receipt from 20 years ago.

The people that take advantage and abuse , get at yard sales and the like , and whine when they don’t get a replacement are pathetic. These type of people are the reason that companies like Sears get frustrated and begin making restrictions. As well they should. Instead of being upset with Sears , you should be more upset with these “scammers” than with Sears. How ignorant that you can freely say you take advantage and feel good about it. I don’t own a Sears , but I would throw you out of my store and warn all other stores if I caught you doing this.

I took back a ratchet that had the switch broken. It was in pristine condition. When I took it to the nearest Sears store in Chandler they gave me a less than nice refurbished one–and I refused to take it. Regardless of how good the insides are, what I get back better look just as nice as what I am giving them or else give me the rebuild kit for free. Most of us who use these things are capable of rebuilding them ourselves without the hassle of getting a POS looking tool in return for the supposed lifetime warranty. I called and Facebooked Sears customer service and this was the first they heard of it. So I don’t know what to say–they did clear it up and gave me a new ratchet. I could understand if the one I was giving them looked like a piece of garbage but the one I had looked nice, new and shiny. Hopefully I don’t have any more issues like this and am going to buy the rebuild kits and fix them myself from here on out I think.

There’s no clause about original ownership. Buying tools at a yard sale, and then having broken ones replaced is not abuse of the warranty.

The only issue I personally have are the people who have fire-damaged tools that likely got reimbursed via insurance who try to replace them, or those that actually modify/change/abuse their tools.

That said, the warranty says what it says, and has no exclusion for the above issues that *I* have a problem with – therefore, those that utilize the warranty as such are doing absolutely nothing wrong.

The Craftsman Full Unlimited Lifetime Warranty is a huge sales boost, and Sears was losing money, you can be assured, they’d change that warranty in a minute. They haven’t.

If you have a older ratchet insist on a repair kit you will be disapointed with even a new replacment loose action poor Quality even in the premium polished ratchet and every “refurbished” tool I have recived has had broken teeth. However at least they somewhat honor their warranty unlike home depot who refuse to replace their husky tools despite the posted lifetime warranty

I have a craftsman tool box top and rollcab just wondering, my handles are bending the locks are broken and the 2 stationary wheels underneath are starting to buckle.
Are they coverd under they coverd?

I have been purchasing Craftsman tools for about 35 years, and have spent about $75,000 on them. I purchased them because of the lifetime warranty and the quality of the tool.

Last month I took 6 ratchets that had failed back to Sears. They tried to give me rebuilt ones that were in no way acceptable. One of the ratchets they tried to give me looked like it had been repeatedly beaten with a hammer. and several others had loose ratcheting mechanisms.

Calls to Sears “customer service” were a total exercise in futility. They sent me a $30 gift card and when the called to follow up on my complaint, were shocked to find that that did not begin to satisfy me. When I reminded them that over the door to the store are the words “Satisfaction Guaranteed” I was told that some people can not be satisfied.

I have always given Craftsman tools as gifts for family and employees. I usually spend a few thousand dollars a year on tool kits for that purpose. I will no longer be spending that money at Sears.

By unilaterally changing the warranty, and making it retroactive, Sears has broken their contract with me. Years ago they tried the same thing with Die Hard Batteries, which at the time were warrantied for as long as you owned your car. A gentleman with a classic Jeep ended up filing a lawsuit when Sears tried to end his warranty coverage, and Sears was ordered by the court to cover the battery as long as he owned the Jeep.

A contract can not be unilaterally changed. Sears seems to think that they can do so, and therefore they can no longer be trusted

Don’t remember Diehard batteries ever being ‘lifetime’ warrantied, unless maybe they meant life of the battery itself, and I’ve been around a long time! You may be thinking of J.C. Penney which sold a lifetime battery back when they were in the automotive/hardware business, and they be replacing them yet, today, thru Firestone.

I have owned craftsman tools for years and use them for my work. Several tools are being discontinued and no longer produced. they will replace it with something comparable (without a lifetime warranty) OR refund my money. Both of these options cause me to lose my warranty. I feel that they can discontinue the sale of a particular tool if they want to, BUT should continue to manufacture and stock the tool to replace those of customers who purchased the tool under the original “LIFETIME WARRANTY”. ANYTHING less than that I consider to be a breach of contract.

Craftsman Vice broke
Won’t replace or repair
Kenmore fridge rubber at the bottom of door was defective when i purchased it and they knew it because they taped it , it is under the bottom shelve so you can,t see it I happened to see it when my daughter opened the door and I was across the room and happened to see this but the warenty had run out .i could go on and on and on.they call me a good customer!!!!!!!

I am a professional auto tech and I use almost 100% Craftsman tools. Whenever I need to swap a tool out for a warranty issue I always go and pull the replacement off of the shelf before I go to the counter. I haven’t had any problems doing this. I think it may help that I usually go in with my uniform on so they see that I use them every day.
I will say this, I carried a magnet tray in once not for replacement but because I had all of my tools to return in it. When the lady saw me walk up with it she said that the tray is not covered under warranty. I wasn’t going to argue with her because I didn’t need a new one but if you go look at the box of a new one you will see that it is.

The warranty to me seems quite simple. If you are not satisfied, the tool will be replaced. This should apply to rust as well. I have a set of tools I keep on my boat in the saltwater atmosphere. The DO get rusty…which to me is “unsatisfactory”. I have hed some of those tools replaced with no problem, but have met resistance at some Sears stores. It’s usually an employee trying to “wield” their “power”. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to argue with those types so I just go to a different store. Other times, I recite the warranty and sometimes win, sometimes not.

Sears is just like most other companies today. Customer service is completely secondary to their bottom line. Unfortunately they seem to forget that good customer service will result in a good bottom line.

I have used Craftsman since 1984 when I bought my 1st basic auto repair set ….

in the 1990’s I shattered a 1/2 drive ratchet [one with the round head, not oval] – 1st I broke off the lower section of the handle [I did not have the cheater pipe far enough up the handle] then I snaped the rest of the handle off and twisted off the square part that goes into a socket – all this because a VW requires over 300 ft lbs of torque to properly fix the drum to the shaft … I took the bits to Sears for replacement, which they did never asking what happened, and in the future when needing to remove the 36mm Nut I used this cast steel piece and a BFH.

I do not do much car work anymore so I have not had an occasion to break any of my tools … but it sucks that people have such a mixed bag of results with store clerks and managers ….

TOTAL BS about drill bits not being covered. I have 20 or more single bits I bought years ago and the back of every one of them has the standard warranty printed on it. Lifetime Warranty.

I went in to replace one of these bits and got hassled to no end until I placed the pAckaging on the counter and said ‘read this’ to the ignornat rube trying to deny my replacement. They did replace my bits and just to show them who had the power I went home and gAthered up every craftsman bit and demanded the store replace them with new becuase I wasn’t satisfied with them per the warranty.

oh. And I have demanded and gotten power hand tools replaced. Simply point to a table saw and remind them that is NOT a hand tool but a stationary tool and it it can be operated while held it’s a hand tool. Period.

Show me where in the warranty any hand tool that is powered by any mechanical or electrical means is excluded. There is no such exclusion. There is no language in the warranty distinguishing a manually operated hand tool from a powered hand tool. Case in point. A tape measure is a powered hand tool. It has a spring. That is a power source.

Stand up for your rights. Until the sign above the door changes I’ll expect repair or replacements on any craftsman hand held tool, no matter how it’s driven.

i went to sears yesterday to see if i can return some ratchets under warranty.one ratchet still worked, but the little ball that holds the socket on was missing,the other locked up and didn’t work.at first i was told that they were going to rebuild them and to come back in 20 minutes.when i went back(about 30 mins. later), i was told they do not have a rebuild kit available for these ratchets.that did not surprise me because these ratchets were more than 30 yrs. old.i left with 2 new ratchets(the quality does not compare in any way with my old tools)and a little piece of mind knowing that they’ll work with you to make it right.i left with 2 ratchets this year,might return them, after failure,next year, but i got something to satisfy me.to sum it up—-tool quality now is not that great,but customer service was!

My craftsman pair of bent nose pliers snapped about a month ago, from the break you can see the defect in the steel. We returned it to the Sear store in Calgary; they did not have a replacement and suggest another store in the City. So after going to three different locations and getting the run around from Sears, We call Sears Canada, again to get the run around, we needed the catalog part number to get a replacement pair. The only number on the pliers was not the catalog number. The customer disservice rep told us to take the pliers to a Sears Store and they would replace them as they could not without the catalog number. Today we were at our local sears store and tried to get the pliers replace, the owner agreed that they were under warranty, but he did not have a catalog number to order the replacements. So after explaining to him that we had call Sears Canada Customer Disservices and had been to three other stores, He could not replace the pliers. The owner then said that he could not order the pliers until Monday when his wife was back in the store as he did not know how to order the replacement parts. He wanted us to come back in on Monday during working hours (So I need to take time off work because the Sears owner cannot order the replacement pliers). So we called Sears Canada Customer Disservices, again they could not order the replacement pliers, no catalog number and we should go to a store (I explained to the Bimbo that we were phoning from a Sears Store and they could not order the pliers). So I think owner final was starting to understand. The owner wanted us to go back to Calgary to the Sears repair depot. Let me think….driving to four stores so far, two calls to Sears Canada Customer Disservices ( not that there are all morons, just the one I get to talk to) and now a new trip to the Sears repair depot. I don’t thinks so. He then called the Sears repair depot in Calgary, they could not cross ref the part number to the catalog number. So we left the pliers him (not sure if he will just through them out a deny having them) or if he will try to get replacements (these pliers were about $45.00 when I bought them years ago). So much for the life time warranty, I will NOT buy from Sears Canada again … no wonder they are going under
Note there is no way to contact or get help from Sears Canada, once you buy something, they are done with you.

I went to replace a broken 3/8″ extension which had cracked. There were none in stock and catalogue sales no longer has a listing. I was told there was a tool supplier problem, but it appears as though Sears may be getting out of the hand tool business. So lifetime warranty, yes, but they no longer have replacements. Time to go to Canadian Tire

TRIED TO RETURN 3 RATCHETS 3/8″ (TEARDROP),3/8″ FLEX-HEAD,1/2 (TEARDROP).NOT ONLY DID I COME AWAY WITHOUT ANY REPLACEMENTS,I WAS GIVEN A SAD EXCUSE ABOUT HEAD OFFICE CHANGES AND A PHONE NUMBER TO TRY AND DEAL WITH IT MYSELF.I’M LESS THAN IMPRESSED AND CERTAINLY WON’T BE DEALING WITH CRAFTSMAN OR SEARS UNTIL I HAVE 3 NEW RATCHETS! THAT’S IF THEY DON’T GO BELLY UP FIRST.

I got a question about a 1/2 inch flex head ratchet (model 44816). When I add a socket and start to use the ratchet it slips out of position. Technically, it is not broken but little ball under the head does not stay in the groves. I have to hold the wrench very gently and guide it over the bolt otherwise the head drops. Is this a candidate for a “replacement”? BTW they changed the grove design on the bottom of the ratchet and made the groves deeper and therefore hold the head better.

I’ve been a proud Craftsman tool owner since 1971, when I was given my first set for Xmas. I’ve exchanged many Craftsman items over the years, usually with no problems. Sears Craftsman was one of the few brands in the world I can say I truly loved.

However, in recent years, I’ve noticed a sad trend. Many Craftsman items have been discontinued, so there’s no way you can get them replaced, or if you do, they offer you a non-Craftsman item, so there ends your “Guaranteed Forever” guarantee. Specific examples of this: Craftsman plastic gasoline cans, Craftsman kitchen knives, some Craftsman trowels, and the Craftsman garden hose multi-pattern spray nozzle (it only has a 2 year guarantee now).

I’m worried that Sears may not survive. Many other stores now offer lifetime tool guarantees; Home Depot (Husky), Lowe’s (Kobalt) and Harbor Freight.

5. Once you issue an item with a Craftsman “Forever Guarantee”, you should honor it forever, including on whatever substitute item you offer, should the manufacturer stop making the original.

6. Make sure every Craftsman item you sell is marked with the Craftsman name indelibly, like a stamp or engraving or molded into the plastic, not just a painted label or sticker that will eventually fall off.

7. The last thing you guys need is a class action lawsuit, with the resultant horrible PR. Imagine your having to pay a $700 per hour Chicago lawyer to argue in court that the legendary Craftsman Lifetime Guarantee isn’t really what you promised.

There are many Craftsman loyalists out there who want Sears to return to its glory days of trusted quality and integrity. I am certainly one.

Don’t forget about Ace Hardware, way more locations than all those combined. That’s why if there’s a hand tool I need that has the Ace name on it, I’ll give it a try, they’re all imported anyway. The only time I returned one for a refund and bought something else was a pair of diagonals, they wouldn’t cut really small wire. After exchanging the first pair and trying the second, I found the cutting edges didn’t meet well. I got a refund and bought a pair of channellocks at the same store. I’m not saying all Ace stores are standardized the way Sears is (more or less), some are better than others by way of staff, stock, and services offered. But they can get any Ace tool within a week.

The Ace Hardware company will probably deny you a replacement Craftsman tool, unless you bought it there.
As I found out in Winnemucca NV., you are better off buying another brand that is under warranty locally or drive 170 miles to Reno.
Save yourself some hassle and avoid buying Craftsman tools unless you live pretty close to an actual Sears store.
Craftsman tools are higher priced for a reason, in that they are probably not any better made now days, but they can cover the expense of honoring their legendary Lifetime Guaranty with a free replacementin it fails to give you complete satisfaction.
It was sort of sneaky for Ace to get involved if they were going to fly the Craftsman flag and not honor the Craftsman warranty, but at least I can try to warn others of this stratagem of theirs.

tried to turn in a craftsman stapel gun it had cracked on the front we first bought a cheap one and it broke so purchased a craftsman due to the lifetime warranty the guy at sears laughed at my girlfriends dad when he tried to return it to get a replacement it wasnt but a few months old had cracked in the front i personally definitely would assume a stapel gun would count as a ‘hand tool’

Took my craftsman cutting torch in after valve failure. Was told that they no longer sold this item and i was more or less out of luck. the reason i bought it was the “lifetime” warranty. I guess “lifetime” means different things to different people.

Here’s what it means to me: Sears will now have the opportunity to explain “lifetime” to our local judge.

My experience is that the Craftsman warranty is close to useless because of the hoops you need to go through. To have a 1/2″ ratchet replaced I have tried:
– go to the local Sears outlet store – No they can’t do warranty, or even receive the part to replace the warrantied item; I would have to go through a regional store, about 1hr away.
– the regional store could replace the ratchet if they had one in stock; check back in a few weeks and they would probably have one
– checked back in a few weeks – still don’t have one; no they can’t order one in for me, I just have to keep checking until it is in. And again a few weeks later.
– tried ordering one from Sears by phone – was told that I would have to deal with Craftsman the manufacturer directly
– Called Craftsman, who after 15min transferred me back to Sears Catalogue Dept. who did not answer
– my solution – buy one for 1/2 the price at Harbour Freight; when it breaks, throw it out, which is what I am doing with the Craftsman one anyways.

The tool you bought at Harbour Freight is guaranteed, all you need to do is take it to them and get a new one. For the price of the imported Craftsman, you could buy a ratchet and one or two backups from HF, when you get around to going to the store, grab your box of broken HF tools (if any) and exchange them.

I can see now why they would start being more stringent with their warranty. The amount of people that comment here saying they buy beat up tools or just exchange them every couple of years is overwhelming. Craftsman obviously can’t afford to keep replacing 75 years worth of tools they have sold so far. And Husky, Kobalt and harbor freight will all end up the same way in 10-15 years one they have some products that have been out for 25 years. Maybe SnapOn can afford to do this because of how much they charge for the same tools but Sears defintely can’t

Please, I beg of everyone here to please only have legitimately defective tools warranteed. It is completely unreasonable for you to expect to keep regular tools on a boat and keep exchanging them because of rust. Or to keep exchanging a garden sprayer every 2 years (no reason given). It might be technically covered by warranty but it’s definitely immoral and it will eventually end the lifetime warranty if abused. Keep in mind that craftsman tools are still the best bang for you buck and have a better warranty then products 10x the price.

Well, WD-40 may dry out any residual moisture – that is what it is designed for (water displacement), but it will leave the metal raw and open to more rust. WD-40 is NOT a lubricant. Lube after cleaning, it will work better and last longer.

broke a 3/8 drive 9/16 swivel chrome using a ratchet went to Sears for replacement / repair and was told if i brought in the whole set the would replace it that way not just the individual socket the i needed. …so really not impressed anymore with them anymore getting harder to get the most common used sockets idividually when you need replacement do to wear and or breakage

I ALMOST made a huge mistake. We are setting up another shop and I went to Sears with a list. For all of the hand tools… pliers, Screwdrivers etc. I bought Craftsman Evolv tools. Almost $3,000 worth. I did check to make sure these were covered by the Craftsman warranty, as they are marked Craftsman – Evolv. The answer was yes. HOWEVER, I just spent 2 hours clarifying that answer tonight. On their website it says Lifetime Warranty (with receipt). Short story… after talking 2 five different people in 3 countries – it’s true! For the CRAFTSMAN EVOLV you MUST HAVE RECEIPT for the lifetime warranty. Check this for yourself on the Sears site. The final person tried to play it both ways by saying that the decision is up to each store. That does not bode well for the CRAFTSMAN brand!! It’s in black and white on their website. Gone are the days where if it said CRAFTSMAN you could count on the Lifetime “No Questions Asked” Warranty.

I just brought my 1/4″ ratchet to the Austin Sears store since it was slipping. The salesman (Kevin) was very helpful and rebuilt my ratchet on the spot. I noticed the kit he used was $1.86, but I wasn’t charged for that. The ratchet wasn’t rusty or dirty, just worn out. I was very happy with the service. Also, a few years ago, I bought a set of the plastic handled jeweler’s screwdrivers and almost immediately, the handles cracked right off at the shaft. They replaced five of them at once. Needless to say, I stopped using those because they were SO poorly made, but I do still have them.

I just returned from Sears. Traded in a cracked 50′ Craftsman garden hose and 1/2″ Ratchet. Straight replacement, no questions asked. I noticed the new ratchet is now made in China, so maybe I’ll just the repair kit for the next made-in-USA tool I have to return.

I have a lot of craftsman tools that are rusted as a result of having a leak in my shed didnt know it till I went to grab a screwdriver the other day.also noticed that a lot of my screwdrivers,ratchets,sockets,and some wrenches are worn pretty good. have a 2 tier toolbox thats all rusted on the top also…My question is can I go through these tools and return all the bad ones and second can I return the toolbox for a new one..look forward to hearing back from you…Thank you

I’d like to start by saying I work at Sears. After reading through these replies I’d like to say a few things. The Craftsman Lifetime Warranty covers HAND TOOLS the one exclusion being torque wrenches…which actually have a lifetime head warranty, the calibration however is not covered.
Now with normal hand tools the warranty is pretty much anything will be replaced. To replace the tool it is technically required to have 90% of the tool and be obvious it is a Craftsman (stamped on). I know we are very good about replacing at my store. We warranty pretty much anything, as long as it’s not obviously abused, including rust, fire damage, simple slipping, or if it’s been initialed ( which I saw some people said they were denied a warranty because of this, that is BS they just melt the tool down again if it’s initialed even if it’s something they usually rebuild). If you ever have a problem with them warranting something then just grab a tool off the shelf and read them the warranty, (“If this hand tool ever fails to provide complete satisfaction it will be repaired or replaced free of charge.”) notice it says satisfaction in there! That’s right, if you think that ratchet is too tight and hard to turn, replace it. Don’t let them hassle you about it, it’s simple they’ll melt the tool down and forge a new one if it’s something they can’t rebuild.
With that all being said there are some things to consider. The Craftsman Evolve brand of tool is NOT a lifetime warranty like the Craftsman brand it’s a LIMITED Lifetime Warranty. This means that you need a proof of purchase when you warranty these. As far as I’m concerned if you need a proof of purchase it’s not a real lifetime warranty. I’ll also point out that the Craftsman Evolve brand is an inferior tool when compared with the Craftsman , the Evolves are made of lower grade metal and will not stand up to the stress that the Craftsman will.

POWER TOOLS:

Now power tools. Current power tools are only covered by a 1 year warranty. This includes: miter saws, table saws, cordless/corded power tools (such as drills, grinders, trim saws, work lights, impact wrenches/drivers,), compressors, pneumatic tools, wet/dry vacs, drill presses, band saws, sanders, jig saws, flash lights, work lights, and even multimeters. None of these have Lifetime warranties. You need a proof of WHEN you purchased these to have anything done about them. That’s right they WILL NOT take your word for it, if they did then they’d have to take everyone’s and that doesn’t really seem like a good way to stay in business.

Tool Boxes/Chests

Tool boxes (portable hand tool boxes) do not have a warranty, only the return policy. Tool chests depending on the grade are only warrantied for a number of years (meaning you again have to have a proof of purchase). Standard Duty: 90 days, Heavy Duty: 3 Years, Premium Heavy Duty: 5 Years. These are all limited manufacturer defects warranties.

When in doubt just go to Craftsman.com and read the warranties page. As for the hand tools that are to be Lifetime warrantied, don’t let them screw you out of the warranty your trading them metal for metal so that’t not really a big deal. If they absolutely refuse you (assuming you didn’t abuse it, for example if it’s just rusted up) I’d just grab the replacement tool off the shelf, take the packaging off and set it down with your old tool on the counter and walk out. Not being able to get a replacement for something you need a receipt for is one thing but, hassling you over a lifetime warranty is really petty.

I have an older Craftsman one pint oil can with a twelve inch flexible spout. Has no numbers on it. Went to clean it out to put fresh oil in it and found a layer of crud and rust in the top half of the container. This can is plated steel (nickel?) and looks really good on the outside. Went to the local store and was told they don’t carry those in the regular tool store and I would have to go to the Sears Auto Center. They don’t carry them there either. So they said they couldn’t replace it because the manufacturer no longer made them. Assistant store manager offered a $9.99 in store credit but they don’t sell anything even close in size and with a spout like I have. The closest thing I can find online is $23.99 plus shipping from another company. Explained I wanted a REPLACEMENT equivalent to what I had or money to buy a replacement elsewhere and they said they can only offer the cost of the item when it was originally purchased. What is the point of a lifetime warranty when you can’t get another and when you’re forced to buy crap because prices changed? Everyone I talked to understood but said they can’t go against policy. Any advice?

Sears no longer owns Craftsman it is owned by the nearly defunct once again Kmart, who bought after coming out of bankruptcy!
While the Craftsman warranty is still available on some tools many are not covered. Tools such as torque wrenches for example as tough as you would expect one to be they are not covered!
Be aware Craftsman is nothing special anymore except that there tools that are warrantied. They pretty much do no questions asked! Also be aware that all Craftsman mechanic tools are now China made. So you almost have to consider now whether it is better to buy the cheap China made or the expensive China made.
Someone made the comment earlier that there ratchets are the most replace item. That is because they fail most often, possibly misuse but the new ones are not near the quality of the old ones. I have one that dates back to the early seventies and have used a larger cheater bar with it and it is still cooking. The recent sets with the plastic levers I have most of them have been replace two and three times and they never have been abused. They just don’t last.
I am sorry but there are other reputable tools out there with lifetime warranties and comparable prices. If Craftsman is too stay in business they are going to have to step up there game!! Where they used to be my go to company now I only go there if I have to replace a tool that is still warrantied! I can’t remember the last tool I bought from them and I have been buying from them, dating back almost 40yrs. So I do not consider this a glowing recommendation!

I don’t work for Sears and hate what’s changing about Craftsman as much as anyone, maybe more than some because I’ve been using them for over 60 years.
But reality is reality, and Sears is having to survive in the same world marketplace that everyone else is… That world marketplace is a vision of our same old stupid and greedy politicians, not Sears.

The Sears we have become attached to has lasted longer than most without making a total about face. But that Sears will and must eventually go away. The sooner you get used to this ugly new reality, the less unhappy your daily life will be.

If you use or make your living with tools, then your view should become more mercenary. Shop around and buy tools that are still well built from suppliers that still respect some type of warranty. The concept of everything in your toolbox matching with the same name and finish is just no longer feasible.

Sears is a dinosaur in a changing world which may not be changing for the better. I hope I’m not simply old and inflexible, but I miss and appreciated the world we’re forever leaving behind, and it’s not simply for reasons of nostalgia. I blame the idiots we choose for our government, and I blame us for continuing to put up with the direction they’re taking us.

I just tried to return a craftsman tape measure to the chandler arizona sears and was told they dont return tape measures even though i have done that in the past. when i questioned the policy i was threatened and told to leave the store. there are way to many places to buy tools without putting up with a hostile store. i am no longer a craftsman tool person i dont believe with this service they will be around alot longer. then the warranties all expire.

I have an older Craftsman one pint oil can with a twelve inch flexible spout. Has no numbers on it. Went to clean it out to put fresh oil in it and found a layer of crud and rust in the top half of the container. This can is plated steel (nickel?) and looks really good on the outside. Went to the local store and was told they don’t carry those in the regular tool store and I would have to go to the Sears Auto Center. They don’t carry them there either. So they said they couldn’t replace it because the manufacturer no longer made them. Assistant store manager offered a $9.99 in store credit but they don’t sell anything even close in size and with a spout like I have. The closest thing I can find online is $23.99 plus shipping from another company. Explained I wanted a REPLACEMENT equivalent to what I had or money to buy a replacement elsewhere and they said they can only offer the cost of the item when it was originally purchased. What is the point of a lifetime warranty when you can’t get another and when you’re forced to buy crap because prices changed? Everyone I talked to understood but said they can’t go against policy. Any advice?

I own a craftsman drill and the batteries stopped taking a charge so I went to the nearest sears cause I was told they had a time warranty and they told me that they don’t replace batteries and there was nothi g they could do for me and gave me a website to see if I could order another myself and sent me on my way am I wrong in thinking they should have done something more ?

I TOOK A CRAFTSMAN SKILL SAW TO SEARS TO BE FIXED OR REPLACED. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THEY DIDN’T HVE THE PARTS ANYMORE.I THINK THAT IS REASON FOR ME TO USE ANOTHER BRAND OF TOOLS.

what people fail to realize is the Craftsman warranty is an act of good will for Sears. It was a advertising ploy that worked. It got people in the store to buy more than just a wrench. Invented to be an hassle free guaranty. So happy customers will buy more shit.
Now since Sears is sucking canal water now, the are trying to cut back a little. This will kill the company off.

Just had my most horrible experience ever at a Sears store trying to exchange some wrenches under the Craftsman warranty.

The associates in the Sears hardware department in Meridian, Mississippi were not only clueless about the warranty and outright lied, telling me Craftsman wrenches had no lifetime warranty and there was no such exchange policy on tools, but they called the acting manager and store security, who accused me of trying to commit a crime by doing so, and told me to leave the store immediately or they would call the police! This, after I drove an hour just to this store because they had the sizes I needed in stock, and some other wrench and socket sets I was going to buy.

This is my first time receiving such treatment after more than 25 years of buying Craftsman tools from Sears.

I don’t blame people at ALL who just decide to stop shopping at Sears when they are treated in such a surreal way for trying to exchange a tool.

I was using a craftsman hammer two nights ago when out of nowhere the head came flying off and fell down and hit me in the head. I was hammering a header apart above my head. I was rushed to the ER with a concussion. I’m wondering if anyone else has had a craftsman hammer break on them. I’m not so much interested in a replacement hammer, I’m interested in Sears covering my medical bills. Does anyone else out there have a similar experience? And if so what happened?

I have thousands of dollars worth of Craftsman tools which I have been buying since I was 16 years old. I had two tools fail me, a rasp file while filing down the faucet holes in a granite sink and a utility knife. In both cases, the clerk at Sears gave me a hard time. I was furious as I take meticulous care of my tools to the extent that I have screwdrivers and pliers that I routinely use that I purchased in 1972. Well, I requested to speak to the manager and I received a lecture. Anyway, I now buy Husky and Klein tools. I was a loyal Craftsman advocate; but, I refuse to have to put up with that kind of crap. It is incredible to watch the Sears brand disintegrate before my very eyes. I shared my story with a sales clerk at Home Depot and he told me if I have another issue with a failure of a Craftsman tool to simply return it to Home Depot and they will provide me something comparable. They want my business and I’m eager to do business with them! I recently purchased 10K in replacement windows with them because they are willing to replace a $5.00 utility knife without a bunch of nonsense.

Home Depot is doing this as they intend to purchase rights to also carry Craftsman. Give it time. Once HD is in the same shape as Sears, they will cut back to. BTW no Husky is Made in the USA and many Klein are now made in China/Taiwan.

I just returned a Craftsman 30 ft. tape measure to the Sears in Salem, NH. The blade was broken at the tip. The sales person told me Craftsman no longer made tape measures. She let me pick out a Stanley 30 ft. tape measure and swapped it out no questions asked. I guess it just matters on which store you go to and maybe, and more importantly, your demeanor when you speak to the sales people.

SEARS in Canada, has stopped the guarantee on Hand tools. I took a pair of craftsman Vice Grips back, 10 inch, they said they no longer make them, and wouldn’t replace them, or buy me a replacement pair….so much for Sears Guarantee. Now I am worried about my 2500. dollar refrigerator, my 4600 dollar Craftsman lawn tractor, my 400 dollar craftsman lawn mower, My dishwasher, and my stove, my washing machine and dryer. I would never recommend buying anything from Sears in Canada. I read recently that SEARS are closing in Canada, so guess that might be why they don’t care about customers anymore. I have been a customer for more than 50 years….Never again
Bob

My grandfather lived on the ocean and his basement was flooded during a hurricane. When he passed, my dad took all his old rusty (due to the saltwater flood) craftsman tools in to sears and they gave him all new ones.

This was a great experience provided by sears – I’m now a loyal craftsman customer.

Just returned a pair of broken Craftsman needle nose pliers. The clerk didn’t blink an eye. Took one look, found the replacement pair (new) and rang up a no charge sale and handed me the pliers. For this, I’m still a Craftsman hand tool guy.

So about 12 years are so ago. Came in to sears with a set of those self adjusting pliers. Not working both pair. And was turned away for a minute am out of rust on tools. Mabel the size of a dime on both. Pliers did show obvious wear to locking areas. But manager and employees said it was rust and neglect. Not a warranty issue. I now use snap on and kobalt. As do the rest of my fellow shop workers.

I just returned from (trying) to buy a craftsman spade shovel, my nearest sears store (about 20 miles away) sells them, right on the label it says something to the effect of: proof of purchase required when returning for a replacement. when did craftsman tools begin requiring a proof of purchase to exchange ?

OSTFU ! I have had Craftsman tools since the early 70’s and never had a problem exchanging them ! If you leave your tools outside and they get rusted up or what ever you did with your tools that you didn’t take care of it ! Why should they give you a shiny new replacement ?

I’ve recently become a Sears employee and have learned several things. First, it is true that it depends on the sales clerk as to what service you receive. Someone who is working just for a paycheck may not properly and completely help you. (These guys are easy to spot.) Second, if it can be refurbished and is in their stockroom drawers, that is the tool you will get in exchange. These only cost a store one penny. Third, if a refurbished one cannot be given, then, yes, a new one will be, even though that costs Sears money. (Probably why they are slowly going under.) Finally, if an older or out-of-stock tool cannot be replaced, a gift card or a comparable tool should be given. Also, the idea of “it came from a set so the whole set should be returned” again depends on the tool or the associate you ask. It’s perfectly okay to ask another associate or for their supervisor, including the store manager. Ours contacted Craftsman themselves personally once.

Most Craftsman hand tools are now made in China. The new rachets, sockets and wrenches are from China. The quality of the rachets is very poor — lower tooth count, plastic reverse lever, plastic release knob. Not worth the price. Chinese junk just like KMart sells.

Everybody know sears and Kmart are going out of business……… hanging on by the last thread. borrowing loan money to stay afloat. They hire retarded kids who couldn’t even identify a screwdriver let alone comprehend a warranty policy. The store is pathetic. Its only for rural areas that don’t have a home depot or commercial tool store. Its pretty sad that even home depot has better quality and service

Hiring people who can’t identify a screwdriver or comprehend a warranty policy is nothing new for Sears. It has been the norm since at least the late 1970’s. I still have a shoe box of broken Craftsman sockets that I won’t ever exchange because they will give me Craftsman sockets in return. It is not the propensity to breaking that turns me off to their tools, it is the incredibly poor fit. When I bought my SK sockets, I quit rounding off nuts. Amazing what a quality tool will do for you!

A warranty is a warranty. I like a few ideas I have seen here, especially the one the guy mentioned he grabbed the replacement tool before going to the customer service/tool check out counter.
If they refuse to honor the warranty, show them the correct warranty. Stay calm. If they still refuse to honor the warranty, take note of the clerk’s name, ask to speak with the management. Stay calm If management doesn’t budge, take note of his name and proceed with calling corporate. If corporate does not budge or the issue is not resolved, proceed to small claims court.

Complain, but do not bitch.

Take note of the good employees.

If you are going to cease and desist all purchases with a company over a poor experience, that is in fact you throwing a hissy fit.

If you get injured because of a tool failure, contact a good lawyer.

If you are one of those flea market/yard sale people who scrounges up old junk, turns it in for replacement, sells new tool. That is pretty low, but not actually violating anything.

If you do the same thing mentioned above, but keep it for yourself then good for you.

If you plan on a company to fulfill the warranty on house fire/fire damaged tools, you are supposed to claim that on your home owner’s insurance.

If you found a tool on someone else’s property, I.E. burnt down house, demo crew, found burnt craftsman tools, turned in for warranty, you just committed theft and you can be arrested for that, and you most likely will.

If you found a tool on the side of the road, follow local laws for claiming it as yours. I.E. reporting a found object, requiring description of lost item and location. Usually just an ad in the newspaper and waiting 1 week is good.

If your tool does rust, then they can easily claim neglect and are in their full rights to claim neglect. Rust is very easily removed, remove it before hand.

Chances are, if you are asking if a tool is covered under a warranty here, you are missing nuts, bolts and screws in your head. Craftsman clearly has it written out on their website, and you should have kept the warranty. Very easy to cut it off the box the tool came in and file it.

Another thing that peeves me off… So what if it requires proof of purchase? I would prefer it that way. If you do not have the receipt then that is your fault. that receipt is very vital for tax and an infinite number of other reasons, especially legal reasons. GO home, take a picture of your receipt, preferably with a scanning printer and store it on your e-mail for future use with a specific title.

Another thing that pisses me off. People who inherit their tools, break them then turn them in for replacement. If you can not see what I view as wrong in that… yeah.. Just go buy a replacement tool and keep that inheritance as keep sake. When ever you get a big lot of broken inherited tools, weld them together and shape them into a statue/table/etc and keep it around for art.

Buy Proto or SK from Amazon, it takes a little while to get stuff warrantied or a rebuild kit sent but they both get the job done. Also, Kobalt (Lowes) Brand seem to be a little better in quality (primarily Taiwan built) than Husky or Craftsman, and there is never a question about getting and instant replacement.

I just warranty returned a bypass lopper I bought several years ago from Sears. The clerk was very friendly and the process took 5 min. at most w/ no questions asked. The new loppers have a lifetime limited warranty though.

FOR AS LONG AS IT IS USED from date of purchase, this product is warranted against any defects in material or workmanship. With proof of purchase, a defective product will be replaced free of charge. The warranty is void if this product is ever used while providing commercial services or if rented to another person.

You got to really be an asshole at some of these sears stores to get them to warrantee her tools ,don’t let them tell you no for any reason Raven rust the package says the warrantee that is protected by law ,if they don’t like it they wouldn’t print it like that

My wife just tried to buy some staples for my 1973 Craftsman stapler. She was told Sears Canada no longer sold staples as they no longer sold staplers – “nobody has been buying hand tools for years”, so they no longer carry many hand tools at all. When she asked where some might be bought (as we all know only Craftsman staples fit their staplers). the salesperson said he didn’t know – “maybe the States”. The stapler is still in perfect shape. This is not very impressive.

I’ve been trying to find replacement motor brushes for my Craftsman circular saw model 320.
25817 and have been told by Sears, SearsParts, and a couple online parts places that they are no longer available. The damn saw is only 10 years old!! How can they not have stock of a common part that is a “Consumable” since with regular use they get worn down.

As for my collection of older Craftsman tools with Lifetime warranties… i’d rather pay a few bucks for a rebuild kit than risk having some schmuck at Sears try and exchange it for some new Chinese tool.

I’ll put money on it that employees have amassed a nice collection of vintage Craftsman tools in their own garages that were warranty returns.

“CRAFTSMAN EVOLV HAND TOOL LIFETIME LIMITED WARRANTY
FOR AS LONG AS IT IS USED from the date of sale, this Craftsman Evolv hand tool is warranted against defects in material and workmanship.
WITH PROOF OF SALE, a defective product will be replaced free of charge.
This warranty does not cover expendable parts that can wear out from normal use within the warranty period. *”

Why did Sears start doing this? It’s simple really. Sears had to change many product warranties because a$$holes wouldn’t stop abusing their lifetime warranty. They’d turn in tools bought at swap meets, garage sales, recovered from house fires, broke due to their own negligence, or just abused them till they broke.

See… back when Sears started the Lifetime Warranty, people in general were more honest, self reliant, and had a stronger moral compass. These days I see so many people who do nothing but game the system, take..take..take, and never give back. This same attitude also applies to lots (not all) of people who warranty return tools every chance they get. It’s sad that good people have to suffer for the sins of those idiots .

Exchanged a Craftsman Professional series (black) screwdriver yesterday. The clerk immediately identified it on sight as a Professional series, despite the fact that all the markings were worn off. The top of the handle, where the + or – marking should be, shows nothing but marks from being hammered on. The tip was broken, and when he found they did not have the new prof. series (red/black) in stock, he ordered it right away to be shipped to my house. No complaints here!

I’ve always had good luck with Craftsman tools. My Brother in-law got me a set of mini pliers 4 pcs. 2 snips,& 2 needle noses. They were made in China but did have the Craftsman logo on them. So far 2 have broke, no problem with exchange for new ones. I’ve also got an S-K 3/8″ inch ratchet and sockets that my Grandpa won as a door prize at the legion. Super high quality, when the ratchet locked up, the local dealer popped in a rebuild kit. Still working good 20 years later. On that note I’ve noticed a few S-K tools at Sears. Too bad there aren’t more S-K dealers local.

Thumbs up! Harbor Freight 21 gallon air compressor was bad order out of the box, first time fired up, blowing safety and tripping. Joe Gonzalez, Federal Road, Houston, Texas, store manager, refused to even listen without hard copy of receipt. Only return there now to steal stuff, until I can get equivalent of my $150 back!

Gonna state an obvious exception. I have two sets of Craftsman sockets, and maybe 5 or 6 ratchets of varying sizes. Sears has always been decent about repairing or replacing their stuff.

On the other hand, I still have a ‘lifetime warranty’ covered set of sockets from Montgomery Wards. They’re pretty good old tools, but if the biz goes out of business, the best warranty in the world is useless.

When I was a High School student back in the 60’s, I did a warranty claim on a broken SK ratchet. I was just a kid, so they gave me the runaround. My Dad finally went with me to the hardware and read them the riot act. I got my replacement ratchet, but I’ve never bought another SK tool. In 50 years!

Brought my 1/2″ and 3/8″ flexhead ratchets back to (Waterbury, CT) Sears today, due to gear slippage on both ratchets. The sales clerk reached behind her and took a “refurbished” 3/8 one off the rack and handed it to me. I checked the trunion on the ratchet and found that it was worn, really, really badly, with side-to-side movement. I told her that this was unacceptable and asked for a new-replacement, as mine were in like-new condition, save for the worn gear. She said she could not do that due to store policy. I asked to see the manager, who came over and said that they do not offer “new replacements” for warranty and that no Sears store that he knows of does that. He (Gen. Manager Pat Morrisey) said further that exchanging a ten-year-old ratchet for a new one is not good economically for the store, as people would never have to buy new tools. When I showed him the sloppiness of the replacement ratchet, he glibly said, when it breaks (not IF it breaks), bring it back for replacement, indicating that even he knew the replacement was defective!. I steadfastly stood my ground and so did he, stating that in that store, I would not get a new-replacement tool and would have to settle for the refurbished tools given. I asked for his boss’ name and contact information, whereupon he stated a name, but no other info. I, again, asked for contact info and he told me it was his policy to not give out that information and that if I had a problem to call the Sears 800 complaint line! Totally unprofessional and uncaring. Customer satisfaction? Not close to even trying. Now, on a happier note, I went to another Sears store (Meriden, CT), where the clerk looked at my ratchets and stated that mine were actually in better shape than the replacements he had and asked that I try rebuilding them with ratchet kits, which he would supply, or install, my choice, before a possible new-replacement could be discussed. Although I did not get the new-replacements I was looking for, I was satisfied that the clerk at least offered an option to the problem, instead of being a seemingly uncaring person. After today’s episode, put my name on the list of anti-Sears people. To me, it’s no wonder why the company is in the position it is.

How should I proceed with this? I have a Craftsman 16″ Phillips head Screwdriver with head worn down and is no longer usable. New, the cost was about $20. It’s not in stores right now and the Craftsman web says Temporarily Unavailable. I cannot get anyone to tell me when it will become available. I need this tool replaced. I will accept a refund for the value, but I prefer they simply replace it. I doubt they will refund me anything, but they should offer some satisfaction when the customer is left hanging forever. Any advice?

Sears warranty no questions asked its not worth the ink and paper its written on i brang my tools to sears in sebring Florida when trying to exchange tools manager of store came over interrogated me about every single tool and denying most and this woman humiliated me in front of her employees to the extent i have not been back to sears since and this happened about 2 years ago
I have nothing nice to say about sears and their no questions asked warranty
I recommend buy somewhere else

Many stores are rejecting replacement of the steel tape if the tape is broken! Just push as much tape as you can back into the reel and wrap the rest of the tape around the reel, securing with plastic packing tape. Tell them it won’t retract, they never bother unwrapping it

Sears new WTS program has no Craftsman tool products in it’s plan here in Canada. They are not stocking tools, tool boxes or such in the stores at all. How do you get a broken tool replaced Now? if you still can or how long will you wait for something to be brought in for you?

I have a 25′ measuring tape. #939533. It has a broken blade. I called a sears hometown store and was told tape measures only have a 1 year warranty. I had the understanding that tape measures have a lifetime hand tool warranty. I called one of the major sears stores but could not get anyone in the tool department to answer the phone. Does my tape measure have a lifetime warranty as I was told?